Surf's up in Rowlett, a parking garage stalemate, airline woes to the Max: Your weekend roundup

This garage — on the Dallas-University Park border, in a cluster of shops and eateries with a tower where former President George W. Bush offices — we own, you and me. The Preston Center parking structure is a first-world tragedy.  [Morning roundup]( 08/11/2019 By Todd Davis Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines of the weekend so far. 🌤️ Weather: Why do we live here again? Oh, that's right, we're near a river and have access to railroads, so we can get goods from other cities easily. High of 104, low of 82. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Sure, there are renderings, but nothing is concrete yet. So here's a look at Preston Center in the 1960s. (File photo) MATTERS OF TIME [A Preston Center stalemate over a parking garage Dallas owns and property owners control]( City columnist Robert Wilonsky writes: This column is not just about any parking garage. This garage — on the Dallas-University Park border, in a cluster of shops and eateries with a tower where former President George W. Bush offices — we own, you and me. The Preston Center parking structure is a first-world tragedy. I have now been to more than five meetings about the 60-year-old, 3-acre, 800-spot double-decker of ugly, cramped, dark, rotting concrete in the middle of a popular shopping center in one of this city's most well-heeled neighborhoods. And in a city with far more pressing problems than making it easier for people to park in front of a Target or Designer Shoe Warehouse or Flying Fish, you'd think I'd find something better to do. But here we are, and there I was late Thursday, listening to the latest update on how the city and its concrete-pouring partners at the North Central Texas Council of Governments want to put [a lot of money into the garage](.  Watchdog: It's been a year. So, [what actually happened]( when mercury spilled in the Coppell mail center?   'It's time': A Dallas council member is pushing for [White Rock Lake]( to get dredged soon.  ADVERTISEMENT POLITICS [Why are so many Texas Republicans in Congress bolting for the exits?]( Four rapid-fire retirement announcements by Texas Republicans in Congress have prompted fresh soul-searching for a political party that’s seeing its decades-long dominance in the Lone Star State start to teeter. While it’s not that unusual for some lawmakers to hit the exits in any given election cycle, the "Texodus" label proffered these days by opportunistic Democrats may have some warrant. Decisions of late by Rep. Kenny Marchant of Coppell, Rep. Will Hurd of San Antonio, Rep. Mike Conaway of Midland and Rep. Pete Olson of Sugar Land to not seek reelection next year come in the wake of five Texas Republicans last year also choosing to retire from Congress. [The obvious question: Why?](  And: Democrats are pushing Greg Abbott for a special session on guns, but [the governor is proposing roundtables](.   Also: [At a gun control forum]( the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls jockey to outdo each other in bashing the NRA and Trump.  (Tom Fox/Staff Photographer) PHOTO OF THE WEEKEND On a hot afternoon, Siddharth Patel of Plano cools off in the water fountains at Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas on Saturday. In North Texas, now through the middle of August are [historically the hottest days of the year]( according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. By the end of August, North Texas typically begins to see a shift in the weather pattern as fall approaches. ADVERTISEMENT AROUND THE SITE - Good news, bad news: [A man crashed his car]( in Hurst after driving a shooting victim to the ER. - Just plane awful: Southwest, American have lost [5 million seats]( from the troubled 737 Max grounding. - Fire bad: [A 7-year-old]( playing with a lighter started a fire that destroyed apartments in Far Northeast Dallas. FINALLY... [Surf’s up: Wave pool, Crystal Lagoon among plans for new $1B Rowlett development]( The first major unveiling of plans for the new Sapphire Bay development along Lake Ray Hubbard late Thursday brought out a crowd that included super-psyched surfers and a scattering of skeptics. And [the latest iteration of the long-discussed and oft-questioned development received a generally positive reception](. City leaders and Sapphire Bay representatives throughout the evening repeated the phrase "destination venue," as they shared their vision for the ambitious $1 billion, beach-based, mixed-use development. They said they hope the development will be a regional and national draw for tourism, conventions and surfers who wouldn't normally flock to land-locked North Texas. Asa Cascavilla, a Hawaii native and Rowlett resident since 2002, said he was "blown away" by the proposal.  👋 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 [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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