Sandra Bland case, Rawlings' DISD support, Scott Pelley on Texas: Your Friday evening roundup

Lawmakers on Friday grilled state officials about a new video clip in the Sandra Bland case, taken from her perspective, that her family's attorney said was not turned over to them during legal proceedings.  [Evening roundup]( 05/24/2019 By Wayne Carter Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Rep. Garnet Coleman, Chair of the House Committee on County Affairs, questions DPS Director Steve McCraw during a July 2015 hearing about the Sandra Bland case. (2015 File Photo/Austin American-Statesman) TEXAS LEGISLATURE ['I want everything': Texas lawmakers accuse DPS of withholding information in Sandra Bland case]( Lawmakers on Friday grilled state officials about a new video clip in the Sandra Bland case, taken from her perspective, that her family's attorney said was not turned over to them during legal proceedings. In an unusually late committee hearing three days from the end of the legislative session, Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, [accused Department of Public Safety officials of either withholding the video from lawmakers or of burying it in the mounds of documentation]( the agency sent them in an effort to conceal it. "I tried to go into the disc you sent me and I couldn't make heads or tails of it," said Coleman. DPS officials said information about the Bland case was given to Coleman. But he said he had not seen the video until its release this month and did not believe it had been made available to him. "I want everything," Coleman said. Biting back: A group of North Texans is planning a "Dogs against Stickland" protest [after Rep. Jonathan Stickland killed an anti-tethering bill.]( Commentary: Wealthy school districts are complaining in Austin [about a budgeting fix designed to address equity]( writes Paul Colbert. ADVERTISEMENT BUSINESS [Pioneer slashes jobs at home in the Permian, putting Wall Street ahead of people]( From columnist Mitchell Schnurman: Last week, Pioneer laid off 230 employees, using police to escort people off the Irving property and promising to pack up their stuff and mail it to them. The layoffs came after 300 workers had earlier accepted buyout offers — and nearly 350 more positions were eliminated elsewhere. In total, Pioneer has reduced its headcount more than 25% this year, the company said. [That’s a startling number, especially for a Fortune 500 company that appears to be rich and healthy — and often brags about employees being treated like family.]( It’s not as if Pioneer were awash in red ink and starved for cash. It’s projecting about $800 million in free cash flow this year and plans to share much of that with investors.   Retail therapy: Lab-grown diamonds debut in Dallas, [and Texans can shop tax-free this weekend.](   Cashing in on cannabis? A new Plano-based magazine [will focus on CBD.](  EDUCATION [Dallas school kids won big because Mayor Mike Rawlings stuck his nose into DISD]( metro columnist Sharon Grigsby: The toughest work that Mayor Mike Rawlings put his shoulder into this last eight years wasn’t even in his job description. But he persistently stuck his nose into Dallas’ public schools — even when that offended a lot of folks — and DISD students came out the winners. The Dallas ISD board of trustees celebrated Rawlings’ tenure Thursday night with a resolution proclaiming him "The Education Mayor" and noting that since his election, the district "has found no greater partner in government committed to its success" than him. Rawlings would be the first to tell you that "Education Mayor" is more than a little hyperbole. But whether pressing for difficult change or cheerleading each success, [Rawlings drove attention — and action — that propelled the district forward.]( As he prepares to leave office amid an avalanche of accolades, for issues as disparate as support for the arts and his fight against domestic violence, he told me Thursday night that this recognition means the most.  Commentary: Is Texas' wallet big enough to pay for school and property tax plans? [Maybe not. But no worries.]( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯   Editorial: Texas went from terrible to imperfect with public school funding. [Let's celebrate.](  ADVERTISEMENT (Brian Elledge/Staff Photographer) PHOTO OF THE DAY Any time of the day or night, you can find visitors taking Facebook photos or selfies on the stone plaza that surrounds the sculpture of wild mustangs romping in a fountain at Towers at Williams Square in Las Colinas. While one phase of a mega building makeover is wrapping up, a more visible renovation of the nearly 40-year-old Irving project is still ahead, including a redo of the central plaza. [Soon the horses will be romping through a park, not a field of granite.]( EDITORS' PICKS - Natural disaster: Big Bend National Park officials said Friday that a wildfire had grown from 100 to 400 acres [as high temperatures spread the blaze through the park.]( - Got any plans? [13 fun things to do Memorial Day weekend]( in Dallas-Fort Worth. - Don't forget the weather: Here’s [what the forecast looks like]( for this weekend. EDITORIAL BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS - Plano: Who we recommend between Ron Kelley and Shelby Williams [for City Council Place 5.]( - Dallas ISD: Who we recommend between Karla Garcia and Camile White [for District 4 trustee.]( FINALLY... [From Texas Tech to CBS to published author, 'There wouldn't be a Scott Pelley without Texas']( Born in San Antonio, Scott Pelley and his family moved to Lubbock when he was 3. He loved riding his bike to the public library, checking out books on Asia and Africa and the Middle East. He would stack them next to his bed, but he often felt annoyed. After all, he could only check out five at a time. Now 61, Pelley has globe-trotted all over the planet. A seasoned veteran for CBS News, he has interviewed some of the world's most powerful people, including multiple presidents. A proud graduate of Texas Tech, Pelley has distinguished himself as a pro for almost half a century. He is best known for his work as a 60 Minutes correspondent and as anchor of the CBS Evening News from 2011 to 2017. And he's the author of a new book, Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter's Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times. He will read from it during an appearance at 7 p.m. May 29 at Interabang Books. Truth Worth Telling brims with memorable profiles, compelling observations, rare insights on democracy and surprisingly candid personal admissions. [So, what is its common thread?]( 👋 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]() | [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. 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