Texas A&M dog research, Kendra Scott, Dallas mayor talks side gig: Your Friday morning roundup

Here is a look at our top headlines as you start your day.  [Morning roundup]( 09/13/2019 By Todd Davis Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌦️ Weather: Chance of rain is 10 percent, so high school football games will stay dry for the most part, unless you count sweat. The high will be 96, and the humidity will be 45 percent. A low of 75 is expected at night. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( Texas A&M graduate student Kyle Cox, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and his golden retriever service dog head to symphonic band rehearsal at the Music Activities Center at Texas A&M in College Station. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer) EDUCATION [Texas A&M researchers quietly bred sick dogs in hopes of finding human muscular dystrophy cure]( A colony of golden retrievers and Labrador mixes lives in an unmarked building at Texas A&M. Few Aggies will ever see them, and many of the dogs will never know another home. The building looks like a pristine dog pound, with aisles of bare metal kennels and slatted floors. The healthy dogs jump and bark loudly, pushing their cold, wet noses between the bars of their cages in sterile, white rooms. The sick dogs are quiet. Their location is a secret. University officials say the strict confidentiality shields the dogs and their caretakers from overzealous activists. But [animal welfare groups]( say the dogs are the ones who need protection from the university.  Also: Texas could consider requiring '[gunshot first aid]( training in public schools.  ADVERTISEMENT BUSINESS [Supercar manufacturer McLaren is moving its U.S. base to Coppell]( British supercar manufacturer McLaren Automotive is moving its North American base of operations to North Texas. [The company has rented 30,000 square feet of office and industrial space]( in a Coppell business park where it plans to relocate its regional headquarters operation from New York City. "With the amazing growth of the McLaren brand here in North America over the past eight years, we are continually trying to keep pace with the needs we have as an operation to ensure we are able to give the very best in customer and retailer service," North American president Tony Joseph said in a statement. McLaren Automotive's luxury sports cars are manufactured at the company's plant in Surrey, England, and shipped to the U.S.  Also: [Fort Worth-based Dickies]( made authentic workwear for J.Crew’s Madewell.   And: [Kroger's southern Dallas warehouse]( can reach the entire D-FW region.  POLITICS [Dallas mayor discusses his job at law firm Locke Lord, affirms commitment to ethics]( Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson on Thursday responded to concerns over his new role as a partner at major law firm Locke Lord, saying he's an elected official who has "never even stubbed their toe ethically" while working both as a public finance attorney and state representative for 10 years. In an interview with The Dallas Morning News on Thursday, [the mayor said he always intended to work as an attorney while he held office](. Johnson said he wished his previous experience in public finance had been explained more thoroughly in media reports. "I chose a firm that posed the least conflicts that I could find," Johnson said. "The conflicts-of-interest issue is not a new one. There's a way to work through this."  And: Andrew Yang challenged U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in basketball, and [Cruz told him to bring it](.   Also: [Ten Democratic presidential hopefuls]( debated in Houston last night.  ADVERTISEMENT EDITORS' PICKS - Guyger trial: Jury selection resumes Friday in [Amber Guyger's murder trial]( for killing Botham Jean. - Fatality: [The cyclist who died]( after crashing into tree at Arlington's River Legacy Park on Saturday has been identified. - Crime ‘invaded our home’: [For families of homicide victims]( in Dallas this summer, more action is needed. Austin-based jewelry designer Kendra Scott will be inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame next month, the second youngest person to receive the honor. The youngest was Michael Dell. (Brandon Wade/Special Contributor) FINALLY [Why Kendra Scott won't give up control of her $1 billion brand]( As lifecycles of brands go, Austin-based jewelry designer Kendra Scott could sell her company tomorrow and retired quite nicely at the age of 45. Tempted? [Nope](. "This is my legacy brand. I'm building this for my family," said Kendra Scott, CEO, founder and mother of three boys ages 17, 15 and 6. "This is my baby, and my name is on the product." Her company was valued at more than $1 billion in 2017 when Boston-based Berkshire Partners became an investor. Scott retained a majority stake and doesn't plan to change that, trying to learn from other entrepreneurs who lost control of their name as a brand. "I think about Kate Spade often and how she sold her name," Scott said.  👋 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]( [Reddit](  [Unsubscribe](  |  [Free newsletters](  |  [Dallasnews.com](  |  [Subscriber login](  |  [Privacy Policy](  |  [Contact us]( Copyright 2019 - [The Dallas Morning News, 1954 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75201, United States](