McKinney woman gets 40 years in prison, Cowboys hear from NFL, stellar restaurant review: Your Wednesday evening roundup

Good evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day  [Evening roundup]( 07/03/2019 By Todd Davis Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( At last month's trial of Stephen Brockway, prosecutor Thomas Ashworth presented a photo of murder victim Richard Moore (center) of McKinney, with his daughter Joanne Comer and son Robert Moore.  (Ryan Michalesko/Staff Photographer) CRIME [McKinney woman gets 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to role in planning husband's death]( Less than a week after her boyfriend turned on her in court, a McKinney woman on Monday admitted she'd murdered her husband. [The guilty plea concludes a four-year saga]( that landed one person in prison for life and got two others long prison sentences for carrying out a murder-for-hire plot. Chansamorn Pokai, 37, pleaded guilty to murder and received a 40-year prison sentence, court records show. Her trial was scheduled to take place later this month, when her boyfriend, Stephen Brockway, was expected to take the stand and reveal her role in the scheme. Brockway, 35, pleaded guilty to the same charge last Thursday, but he took a deal for a shorter sentence— 28 years in prison, in exchange for his full cooperation and testimony in Pokai's trial if called on. Also: [An arrest was made]( in connection with the slaying of a 36-year-old found dead in a vehicle in Tyler. And: [A violent robbery attempt]( north of Houston leaves a 2-year-old child dead and a father with 9-10 gunshot wounds. ADVERTISEMENT BUSINESS [‘Nothing we can do’: Dallas firm's time in China highlights core dispute in trade war]( A few years ago, Dallas-based architecture giant HKS entered — and won — a high-profile competition to design the centerpiece of a horticulture expo in Qingdoa, a coastal Chinese metropolis of more than 9 million people. But the firm couldn’t reach a fee agreement with local officials, who cut off negotiations without explanation or compensation. That seemed to be that, until an HKS partner saw the expo that came to fruition. He was stunned. The venue featured a pale facsimile — ripped off by a local design institute — of the firm’s plans for a striking conservatory filled with lush biomes, recalled Ralph Hawkins, HKS’ chairman emeritus. [“There’s nothing we can do,” Hawkins remembered thinking]( knowing from years of working in China that the “lack of rule of law” means American businesses operating there “basically have no recourse against anybody.”   Also: Politics led [Dallas-owned offshore oil equipment]( out of the Middle East to work in renewable energy.   And: [A Las Colinas tower]( is going to a new Singapore investment trust.  SPORTS [Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott will not be punished by NFL for Las Vegas altercation]( Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott issued an apology Tuesday for his role in an early morning altercation with a worker at a Las Vegas music festival, vowing to work harder to avoid compromising situations. "I've worked hard to make better decisions and to live up to the high standards that are expected of me," Elliott said in a statement posted on his Twitter account after meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in New York. "I failed to do that here and I made a poor decision." On Wednesday, the NFL announced no punishment would come to Dallas' leading rusher. "Commissioner Goodell determined there was no violation of the personal conduct policy and no further action is warranted," [the league said in a statement](.  Also: On a surreal night at Globe Life Park, [the Rangers and Angels played a game]( for which there was no handbook.   And: [Boban Marjanovic agreed to a deal with the Mavericks]( reportedly worth $7 million over two years.  ADVERTISEMENT (Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer) PHOTO OF THE DAY Nathan Starr displays patriotic designs on his hair. In the past, he has flaunted an American flag pattern, and this year the top of his head resembles Captain America's shield. He is one of many fireworks entrepreneurs who have been preparing a long time for [the short window of the Independence Day season, which usually starts on June 24](. “People say, ‘Oh, it’s only 10 days,’ but this didn’t happen in 10 days,” Starr says. He is especially dedicated to fireworks for a man who hadn't intended to sell them. Click the button below to enter to win one all-inclusive Rangers Suite for you and 14 of your closest friends and family. ⚾ [ENTER ME TO WIN]( 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. [Sign up here with one click]( EDITORS' PICKS - Finding cracks: [Frisco officials and residents]( are going after an asphalt plant's complaint history and urging the state to not allow a new permit. - Editorial: Once again, [Texas Legislators take a 'Do as I say, not as I do' approach]( to their legislative records. - Child fatality: A [2-year-old boy]( reported missing in Denton was found dead in a vehicle. FINALLY... [Matt McCallister's Homewood hits four-star heights with a menu that thrills]( Restaurant critic Michalene Busico writes: When God gives you a balmy summer night in Dallas, you sit on the patio, order a platter of oysters and a glass of bubbles, and give thanks. But at Homewood, Matt McCallister's thrilling second-act restaurant on Oak Lawn Avenue, even such a simple indulgence has moments of revelation. Those crisp, pristine bivalves from Maine, North Carolina and the Gulf of Mexico really needed nothing more than a little lemon. But I couldn't stop dousing them with McCallister's brilliant garnishes: a graceful mignonette made with tomato-vine vinegar and an infinitesimal dice of pickled pink turnip and persimmon, in place of the usual red wine vinegar and shallots, and his sultry, barrel-aged version of hot sauce. There is subtle genius to both, and they are perhaps the least remarkable things on the menu. After closing his influential restaurant FT33 a year ago, [McCallister has returned to the Dallas dining scene with a progressive, world-class restaurant]( that pushes boundaries on the menu while maintaining an atmosphere so comfortable that you can imagine eating here every week. 👋 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=). 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