New poll shows Trump ahead in Texas, Mahomes mania in East Texas: Your weekend roundup

Former vice president Joe Biden has stretched his lead in Texas in the Democratic presidential fight, buoyed by gains among Hispanics, a new Dallas Morning News-University of Texas at Tyler poll has found.  [Morning roundup]( 02/02/2020 By Todd Davis Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines of the weekend so far. 🌥️ Weather: Becoming partly cloudy and warm. High of 77. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Painted restaurant windows in Whitehouse testify to the success Mahomes has found in the NFL. (Ryan Michalesko / Staff Photographer) SPORTS [East Texas town with Mahomes Mania is all in for the Super Bowl-bound Chiefs]( Drive through town and you’d think it’s the Whitehouse Chiefs playing in Super Bowl LIV, not a team from Kansas City. At stoplights, gas stations, restaurants and schools, everyone in town seems to be wearing red, gold and white. Whitehouse is surrounded by Cowboys or Houston Texans territory these days. The town’s fervor for Kansas City has only been ignited since the team played in the AFC championship a few weeks ago. That’s when Shawna Driggers of the Whitehouse Area Chamber of Commerce began working to get the town excited about [its hometown quarterback, Patrick Mahomes](.  Also: Super Bowl LIV will feature two very different offensive identities. Now, [the Cowboys must find theirs](.   And: How did the Super Bowl get its name? [Not how you'd expect.](  ADVERTISEMENT POLITICS [Donald Trump ahead in Texas, though Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg close behind, Dallas Morning News-UT Tyler poll shows]( Former vice president Joe Biden has stretched his lead in Texas in the Democratic presidential fight, buoyed by gains among Hispanics, [a new Dallas Morning News-University of Texas at Tyler poll has found.]( Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has the most enthusiastic backing of any of the major Democratic presidential contenders, according to the poll. However, among Texas Democrats and independents who lean Democratic, Sanders is running further behind Biden than he did in two statewide polls by UT-Tyler last fall.  Also: In Iowa, most of these things are just like the other, [yet White House path always starts there.](   And: Office phone lines for Ted Cruz, John Cornyn are [jammed with calls]( as impeachment trial nears its end.  ADVERTISEMENT Fans fill Cotton Bowl Stadium during the first period of a NHL Winter Classic matchup between the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators on January 1 in Dallas. (Ryan Michalesko / Staff Photographer) PHOTOS OF THE MONTH [Our photographers’ top 20 photos from January 2020]( From vigils to a hockey game in Cotton Bowl Stadium and a boy and a boa, our staff and contributors were busy in January telling the stories of the month with images. [Enjoy](. AROUND THE SITE - Arts and entertainment: [For its first show]( SMU grads behind new theater troupe keep it simple, creating a vivid version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. - Courts: [A Dallas judge affirms]( a joint custody order in the case involving a 7-year-old’s gender identity. - Food and drink: Dallas barbecue joint [Smokey John’s]( to sell shoebox lunches during Black History Month. FINALLY... [Inner-city football teams are getting blown out. Should the UIL adjust its realignment factors?]( Here’s a stat: 1,819-138. That's the combined score from 32 District 6-5A games in which one of the four DISD teams in the district (Bryan Adams, Samuell, Sunset and Woodrow Wilson) played the other league teams -- Highland Park, Lancaster, Mansfield Legacy and Mansfield Timberview. On Monday, the UIL will announce district alignments for the next two years. To group nearly 1,400 schools across the state, the UIL looks at two main factors: enrollment to decipher classification and geographic proximity. UIL realignment regulations state "socioeconomic factors are not considered," an element some states are now contemplating. If Texas were to consider those factors, [it might level the football playing field](. ADVERTISEMENT  👋 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 [Unsubscribe]( | [Free newsletters]( | [Dallasnews.com]( | [Subscriber login]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact us]( Copyright 2020 - [The Dallas Morning News, 1954 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75201, United States](