Growing cloud over Perry, Muhlaysia Booker assault trial, football weekend: Your Friday evening roundup

 [Evening roundup]( 10/18/2019 By Wayne Carter Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Energy Secretary Rick Perry gestures as he disembarks from Air Force One Thursday at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth. (Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press) POLITICS [‘Nothing to do with Ukraine’: Rick Perry under a growing cloud as run as Energy Secretary winds down]( Rick Perry almost made it. For the better part of a two-and-a-half-year run as Energy Secretary, the former Texas governor proved to be the rare politico deft enough to navigate President Donald Trump’s administration without much fuss — standing out simply because he didn’t. But as Perry prepares to exit by the end of this year — a pending resignation he made official Thursday — [he does so under a growing cloud.]( The Texan has emerged as a key figure in the ongoing Ukraine drama that has made Trump the subject of a widening House impeachment inquiry over whether the president abused his office by pressuring a foreign leader to investigate a political rival. It remains unclear if the episode will prove to be a footnote or the first word about Perry’s career. And: The House Republican caucus strongly condemned House Speaker Dennis Bonnen for targeting fellow Republicans, using offensive language and insulting local city and county officials [but stopped short of calling for his resignation](. Up for a vote: What’s on the November ballot in Texas? [An income tax ban, school funding, service dogs and more.]( Also: After a controversial stint as Texas secretary of state, [David Whitley leaves his job in Gov. Abbott’s office](. ADVERTISEMENT CRIME & COURTS [Defense attorney says attack on Muhlaysia Booker was ‘mutual combat’]( The defense began making its case Friday in the trial of a man accused of beating up Muhlaysia Booker in April. Defense attorney Michael Campbell, in his opening statements to the jury, [repeated the argument the defense has made throughout the trial]( that the beating was a fight provoked by Booker. The defense has only used male pronouns when referring to Booker, who was a transgender woman. They also refuse to call her Muhlaysia, instead using only her birth name. Campbell said Booker consented to the fight and that it was "mutual combat" after she had been talking smack to a crowd in the apartment complex. In video of the beating, Thomas is seen punching Booker repeatedly, who has her arms over her head in an attempt to block the blows.   Courtroom drama: The trial of a Texas lawyer accused of scamming narcos [resembles a scandal from the "Cocaine Cowboys" era.](   Also: Dallas far outpaces Tarrant County in prosecuting cops who kill, [but could that change](  FOOTBALL WEEKEND [Fallen police officer A.J. Castaneda had a special bond with his high school football coach. How Arlington, Arlington Martin will honor his legacy]( Bob Wager has spoken to some of the most powerful men in the world of sports. The Arlington Martin football coach talked to the six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Wager spoke at a coaching clinic hosted by Alabama, winner of five of the last 10 national championships. Nothing could prepare Wager for June 13. That’s the day he spoke at the funeral of his former player A.J. Castaneda, 38, a Grand Prairie police officer killed in the line of duty six days earlier. In 28 years of coaching, Wager has "spoken at more players’ funerals than anybody cares to," but this was in front of thousands of police officers at The Potter’s House in Dallas. Castaneda will be recognized in a pregame ceremony before the Martin vs. Arlington game at 7 p.m. at UT-Arlington’s Maverick Stadium. Coaches say that the best part of their job is forming life-long friendships with their players. This was a truly special relationship. "A.J. was closer than others," Wager said. "This was a really, really special human being. I want his family to know how much we love him. [I want them to be able to see it.](  Film room: 3 bold predictions for Cowboys-Eagles, including [why Dak Prescott is primed for a big day.](   Right at home: For SMU and the Cotton Bowl, [a pairing makes all the sense in the world.](  ADVERTISEMENT (Lawrence Jenkins/Special Contributor) PHOTO OF THE DAY Guests stroll through the Pumpkin Reef, [part of the Pumpkin Nights exhibit at Howell Farms in Arlington.]( The Halloween-themed experience includes a fall festival area and a half-mile walking path that guides visitors through seven pumpkin-filled sections like the Pumpkin Pirate Cove and the Day of the Dead-themed Maravilla Lane. Thousands of hand-carved artificial pumpkins decorate the route, and visitors will stroll past vignettes constructed with pumpkins such as a 40-foot-long dragon, an octopus and a giant spider. EDITORS' PICKS - Accidental death: A motorcyclist died [after striking a pickup that had stopped to retrieve a fallen ladder]( on Interstate 30 in Dallas. - Health buzz: Should you add bee pollen to your smoothies? [Here’s what you need to know first.]( - Ponying up: A $50 million donation from former basketball standout David Miller and his wife, Carolyn, [is the largest single gift in SMU's history.]( FINALLY... [A look inside 10 houses on the Heritage Oak Cliff Home Tour]( Now in its 45th year, the Heritage Oak Cliff Home Tour returns this weekend to show off 10 unique homes and raise money for area communities. This year’s tour showcases unique homes selected by the Heritage committee. Committee chair Bill Farrell said the houses were chosen for their stories, interesting designs, featured artwork or surrounding neighborhoods. "We don't specifically look for the biggest, fanciest, most expensive homes in the neighborhood to be featured on the tour," he said. Homes this year range are located in Winnetka Heights, Kessler Park, Kidd Springs, Wynnewood North, Lake Cliff, West Kessler, and Stevens Park Estates and were all built between 1917 and 1956. [You can get a glimpse of what's in store for tour visitors here.]( 👋 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=). STAY CONNECTED WITH US [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](