'Uber for kids' just launched, Dallas County community hopes for running water: Your Monday morning roundup

In the Texas heat, bottled water is a lifeline for Betty Bivens, one of the last holdouts in Sandbranch, a Dallas County community that lacks the most basic necessity: running water.  [Morning roundup]( 07/22/2019 By Mallorie Sullivan and Narda Pérez Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌤️ Weather: Increasing clouds and hot with a 20 percent chance for storms. High: 98. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( A home sits amongst the vegetation in Sandbranch, a small, unincorporated Dallas County community that has lived on for decades without clean running water. (Shaban Athuman /Staff Photographer) DALLAS [After tragedy, a Dallas County community still holds out hope running water will one day come]( In the Texas heat, bottled water is a lifeline for Betty Bivens, one of the last holdouts in Sandbranch, [a Dallas County community that lacks the most basic necessity: running water](. Relatives from Mesquite bring cases of water to Bivens so the 69-year-old can cook and bathe. She and her neighbors in the unincorporated area in southeast Dallas County used to rely on wells, but the water that flows from them is contaminated, they say. "I don't drink this water. I don't cook with this water," Bivens said, tapping the well on the side of her yellow, one-story home. "The only thing I do with this water is mop my floors." The predominantly black area has fewer than 100 residents and has gone decades without clean water. Like Bivens, many depend on bottled water for drinking, cooking and bathing. Every so often, new hope creeps in that running water and a sewage system will come to Sandbranch. That hope reached new heights in 2016 when a pastor from outside the community brought national attention to the area.  Also: Here's [how one program teaches kids water conservation]( potentially saving Dallas millions.   And: A wrong-way driver [died Saturday night when he crashed into a vehicle]( carrying two people near White Rock Lake, Dallas police say.  ADVERTISEMENT BUSINESS [A company that wants to be a working parent's 'Uber for kids' just launched in Dallas]( For many working parents, balancing work with getting kids to school or activities is an all-too-familiar and even overwhelming challenge. It might mean arranging a carpool or taking time off work to get one or more kids home from school or soccer practice or drama club. But what if arranging a ride was as easy as the click of a button? That's the idea driving Connecticut-based company VanGo, [which strives to be the "Uber for kids."]( Unlike other ride-hailing apps, VanGo’s features are tailored specifically to parents, with heavy background checks on drivers, GPS tracking of rides and advance scheduling. Starting today, Dallas parents will be able to use the app to schedule rides for kids, ages 8 to 17, for after-school practices, trips or visits with friends. Families not quite ready to give up carpool schedules can also arrange multiple house pickups.  Also: A family-owned company breathed life into a dead Atlanta mall. [Now, it wants to do the same in southern Dallas.](   GuideLive: Here are [6 Dallas restaurants featured on Andrew Zimmern's Cooking Channel TV show](.  SPORTS [To achieve success in 2019, the Cowboys will have to overcome more than just the Eagles]( From columnist Tim Cowlishaw: It starts this weekend with the drills, the details, the repetition or, as the great philosophers Ben Hogan and Jason Witten have told us, [the work begins "in the dirt."]( What the Cowboys are looking to achieve as they head to Oxnard, Calif., for a breath of fresh Pacific-scented air is to overcome both the Philadelphia Eagles and their own history. They won't frame the discussion in those terms. Certainly Jason Garrett -- making his 13th consecutive Oxnard journey as offensive coordinator or head coach -- won't be pointing toward Sunday night, Oct. 20, in Arlington or the rematch Dec. 22 in Philadelphia. But it's fine for the rest of us to recognize that's at least half of what this is all about. The 2018 season ended on the same weekend for the Cowboys and Eagles with Dallas losing its way in Los Angeles and Philadelphia unable to finish its comeback in New Orleans. When you look at the NFC East, it has to be viewed as a two-team race until further notice. Among their many issues, it's possible New York and Washington will be playing rookie quarterbacks at some point this season. Neither the Cowboys nor the Eagles suffered major defections in the offseason. In fact, Philadelphia's biggest loss may have been their backup quarterback as Carson Wentz still must prove (at least for some) he can do the same damage in January that Nick Foles managed during the team's Super Bowl run.  Also: Here are [5 training camp storylines to follow]( as the Cowboys try to end their Super Bowl drought.   And: From Spider-Man screenings to care packages for the homeless, Dallas native Myles Turner [wants something greater than NBA stardom.](  ADVERTISEMENT EDITORS' PICKS - Editorial: Many Dallas neighborhoods rely on paying police for extra patrols. [But City Hall wants a heavier hand in the process](. - Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Sunday that [he won't seek re-election, but he will not resign,]( as he faces public furor over an obscenity-laced online chat that was leaked. - Report: Ex UT-Arlington golf director [found responsible for sexual harassment](. Incoming FFA state President Carlye Winfrey (center) reacted after learning she won the president spot during the state FFA convention at the Fort Worth Convention Center on Friday. (Brandon Wade/Special Contributor) FINALLY... [Girl-powered FFA: Texas student ag organization sees new wave of female leaders]( On the 50th anniversary of the day girls gained full membership in the Texas Future Farmers of America, a young woman from West Texas was elected the state’s FFA president. Carlye Winfrey, from Seminole, [was elected Friday at the end of this year’s Texas FFA Convention]( which was held over four days at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Her election continues a movement in the state's agricultural education organization. Most of the state’s 130,000 FFA members are from urban or suburban schools, with girls comprising around 47 percent of the membership, said executive director Austin Large. Among the organization’s regional leadership groups — the state is divided into 12 areas — nearly two-thirds of the area officers from the 2018-19 year were young women. "They are taking the organization by storm," Large said. "They are often the ones who want to be at the helm — and we want them there, because they do incredible work."  👋 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=). 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