Julián Castro drops out of race, Chief Hall shares police plan: Your Thursday evening roundup

A look at ‘citizen watchdogs’ who fought hard to expose wrongdoing and succeeded  [Evening roundup]( 01/02/2020 By Todd Davis Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall answers a question at a public safety forum to address an increase in violent crime in June. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News) CRIME AND COURTS [Chief Hall releases plan to reduce violent crime in Dallas in 2020]( In a 26-page report on Thursday, Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall released the department’s plan to reduce violent crime after 2019 ended with more than 200 murders -- a number not seen since 2007. [The plan for 2020 comes after a strongly worded letter]( in December from Mayor Eric Johnson calling the increase in violent crime “patently unacceptable.” Also: [A suspect was arrested]( in the shooting death of a 35-year-old man in east Oak Cliff. And: ‘Affluenza teen’ [Ethan Couch]( is back in jail after authorities say he failed drug test. ADVERTISEMENT  POLITICS [Texan Julián Castro withdraws from Democratic presidential race]( Julián Castro has withdrawn from the Democratic presidential race, ending an underdog White House bid that saw the campaign’s only Latino candidate shape the debate on immigration and other key topics but fail to gain traction in the polls. The former San Antonio mayor announced Thursday that he had “[determined that it simply isn’t our time.](  Also: With Castro out, [2020 becomes a rare presidential cycle]( without a Texan.   Editorial: Governor Abbott, [sex slaves in Texas deserve your clemency](.  BUSINESS [What to watch in 2020: Technology will keep enhancing your trip to the grocery store]( D-FW is already a mature market for Walmart’s online grocery business, which started here first in 2015. The next year, it offered home delivery, and it’s about to begin testing self-driving delivery vehicles in Houston. This year, [Walmart’s robots started helping]( picking up online grocery orders in stores by making sure shelves are in stock.  Also: [Southwest Airlines snatched up more land]( near Dallas Love Field as 2019 ended, continuing the company’s expansion near its corporate headquarters.   And: [Chef Stephan Pyles]( is closing Flora Street Cafe and ‘retiring’ from restaurant ownership.  ADVERTISEMENT (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer) PHOTO OF THE DAY Hours after the end of the Dallas Cowboys' final game of the season, a 47-16 victory over the Washington Redskins, head coach Jason Garrett tosses a football on the field with friends and family at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. [Garrett continues to be the man in charge of the Cowboys]( despite the end of his contract approaching. EDITORS' PICKS - Courts: Cook Children’s Medical Center can remove a baby from life support despite the mother’s wishes, [a judge rules](. - Sports: Luka Doncic of the Mavericks is the NBA’s No. 1 overall vote-getter in the first returns of [All-Star fan voting](. - Stock market: [Wall Street]( gets 2020 off to a solid start with more records. FINALLY... [These Texans are ‘citizen watchdogs’ who fought to expose wrongdoing and won]( Who were the top citizen watchdogs who fought for their causes in 2019 and worked hard to get the word out about their findings? A former school board member who sued his district. A foe of an appraisal district. A lottery watchdog from Garland. A school district critic. A homeowner fighting his insurance company. Four University of North Texas history students. And, finally, a legendary Dallas police detective. [READ MORE]( 👋 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](