Wilonsky on Guyger verdict, Pete Sessions' 2020 plans: Your Thursday evening roundup

After the Amber Guyger verdict, how far have we come since a Dallas cop killed Santos Rodriguez in 1973?  [Evening roundup]( 10/03/2019 By Wayne Carter Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Demonstrators protest former Dallas police Officer Amber Guyger's 10-year sentence for the murder of Botham Jean Wednesday night outside the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas. (Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer) DALLAS [After the Amber Guyger verdict, how far have we come since a Dallas cop killed Santos Rodriguez in 1973?]( From Metro columnist Robert Wilonsky: As Amber Guyger stood trial for shooting Botham Jean to death in his own apartment while he watched television and ate ice cream, all I could think about was Darrell L. Cain, the officer who in the summer of 1973 attempted to wring a confession from a child named Santos Rodriguez by playing Russian roulette with the boy in the front seat of a squad car. Cain, too, was charged with murder. Cain, too, claimed he killed an innocent person by accident. In recent days I've read this newspaper's clippings from July 1973, when Santos was murdered, through November of that year, when the trial took place in Austin after a judge approved a change of venue. The parallels were mind-boggling, down to the pledges offered in the aftermath by elected officials and police chiefs who said things must and will change to ensure a horror like this would never again occur. After Guyger was found guilty of murder Tuesday, this paper and countless others noted only that this was the first time since 1973 that a Dallas police officer has been convicted of such a crime. In most outlets, there was little to no mention of the case that preceded Guyger's. No mention of the name of the slain boy, no mention of the officer who shot him dead. [This should not surprise us.]( Editorial: Police Chief U. Reneé Hall [offers leadership to Dallas]( after the Amber Guyger trial. Chat about the case: Our Jen Emily will answer readers' questions about the Amber Guyger trial she covered at 11 a.m. Friday. [Ask your question now]( and join us tomorrow. ADVERTISEMENT POLITICS [Pete Sessions makes it official: he's running for congressional seat held by retiring Bill Flores]( Dallas Republican Pete Sessions, bounced from Congress by Democrat Colin Allred in 2018, formally announced Thursday he's running for the Central Texas congressional seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Bill Flores. Sessions sent out a news release in advance of an afternoon announcement at the McLennan County Republican headquarters. The 17th Texas Congressional District is considered a safe Republican seat, stretching from Waco to suburban Austin to Bryan and College Station. Sessions is a Waco native but doesn't currently live in the district. Sessions represented District 32 in suburban Dallas from 2003 until last year, when he was ousted by Allred. He was first elected in 1996 in a different Dallas district and moved to District 32 following redistricting. Sessions had been considering running against Allred next year, though [some Republicans were trying to talk him out of running again in the district that's has been trending blue.](   Commentary: If only Congress could gain courage [as easily as the Cowardly Lion did]( writes Abby McCloskey.   FOOD & DINING [Texas superchefs Aaron Franklin and Tyson Cole to open Asian-barbecue joint Loro in Dallas]( some of the most exciting restaurant news to hit Dallas this fall, barbecue guy Aaron Franklin and Uchi chef Tyson Cole have announced [they will expand their Austin restaurant Loro to East Dallas next year.]( Loro is a fast-casual restaurant that combines Cole's Asian recipes with Franklin's expertise with smoked meat. Loro opened in Austin in spring 2018. The East Dallas offshoot is expected to debut in summer 2020. The restaurant is part of both chefs' growing empires: It's under the Hai Hospitality brand, which has grown Uchi from its Austin original to Houston, Dallas and Denver, with one coming soon in Miami. The company also operates Uchiko in Austin and Uchiba in Uptown Dallas. Franklin owns and operates the lauded Franklin Barbecue in Austin.  Exclusive access: Dining critic Michalene Busico got a preview of Georgie, [Curtis Stone's mysterious new restaurant in Knox Henderson.](   Just a bite: Dallas' only pincho bar, Sketches of Spain, [opens soon in Oak Cliff.](  ADVERTISEMENT (Allison Slomowitz/Special Contributor) PHOTO OF THE DAY WingSpan Theatre Company artistic director Susan Sargeant portrays Mouth in Samuel Beckett's Not I. [WingSpan is opening its 22nd season with the 1972 drama along with 1976's Footfalls, another short Beckett solo piece for a female actress]( writes contributing critic Manuel Mendoza. EDITORS' PICKS - Editorial: Texas will benefit from California's move [to upend NCAA rules on paying student athletes.]( - So long, summer: A pair of cold fronts could bring rain to Dallas-Fort Worth [and drop low temperatures into the 50s.]( - 'Alexa, let's take a road trip:' Devices like Echo Auto [let Amazon's digital assistant ride with you]( writes contributing tech columnist Jim Rossman. FINALLY... [Why does Billy Joel sound so good in baseball stadiums? Some insight, before his Arlington show]( From contributing critic Kelly Dearmore: As much, or perhaps more than the people of any other state, we Texans really dig marking milestones with music. So, when the powers that be started weighing up acts for the last big concert at Globe Life Park in Arlington — before it ceases to be a baseball stadium — there was a lot to consider. Lone Star legends ZZ Top, the Dixie Chicks, George Strait and Willie Nelson are some of the more obvious names that come to mind for such a momentous farewell. The chosen New Yorker, however, is a perfect fit. Sure, piano songs set in Italian restaurants don't immediately strike one as send-off material for a Texas ballpark. But Billy Joel and baseball stadiums have a special bond. If it was sheer coincidence that the five-time Grammy-winner found himself performing the goodbye concert in Arlington, [it was an immaculately serendipitous one.]( 👋 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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