Dallas to pay $23M to gas-drillers, SMU AD backs Travis Mays: Your Friday morning roundup

In 2008, gas-driller Trinity East Energy paid Dallas City Hall $19 million for the right to frack on parkland, and was eventually denied that opportunity.  [Morning roundup]( 02/07/2020 By Mallorie Sullivan Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌞 Weather: Sunny and milder by afternoon. High of 59. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( ADVERTISEMENT [Couple sues Dallas to stop $10 million Reverchon Park project]( The residents said the city violated state law and failed to provide adequate public notice before the council vote. [Texas executes Dallas man who murdered his wife, children, two others in Oak Cliff home]( Abel Ochoa was high on crack cocaine at the time of the August 2002 rampage, court documents show. [SMU AD Rick Hart backs Travis Mays in memo after accusations of ‘traumatic’ culture]( Mays told players on his 2017-18 team that if they didn’t want to compete, they should kill themselves. [Mavericks guard Luka Doncic drafted by team LeBron for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago]( Doncic will get to team up with his basketball idol for the first time. [So many winners: Impeachment left bitterness but offered something for almost everyone as it turned out]( Winners in Texas include Cornyn and his rivals, the Biden campaign and its rivals, Ratcliffe, Garcia, Cruz and Perry [Developer Trammell Crow plans new Uptown Dallas tower project]( McKinney Avenue high-rise would be next door to the Crescent. [Retail Therapy: J.C. Penney is focused on getting the merchandise right with a.n.a. relaunch]( Shoppers told Penney to up its game in women’s denim. Chief merchant and former Target exec Michelle Wlazlo led the response with 15 new a.n.a. styles and 80 denim washes. [What are the Dallas Public Library’s 20 most checked-out books? Read along with Curious Texas]( The list includes old and new editions, ebooks and audiobooks borrowed since 1996. [Pair used homophobic slurs in hate-crime attack at Oak Lawn bar, Dallas police say]( Officers were called to the Liquid Zoo Bar & Grill about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. [Chef tests Dallas market by hosting pop-up dinner in unlikely spot: an Airbnb]( While many chefs prefer to cook in a commercial kitchen, Casey La Rue says he prefers the intimacy — and slight unpredictability — of somebody else’s home. Protesters demonstrated during the city of Dallas' official Luna Vista Golf Course reopening on Oct. 26, 2012. This is near the land where Trinity East Energy had once hoped to drill for natural gas. (File Photo/Kye R. Lee) COMMENTARY [Dallas on the hook for at least $23 million after jury sides with gas drillers who never got city’s OK to frack]( City columnist Robert Wilonsky writes: In 2008 gas driller Trinity East Energy paid Dallas City Hall $19 million for the right to frack on parkland, and was eventually denied that opportunity. Twelve years and God knows how many legal pleadings later, a jury determined Thursday afternoon that [the city must pay back that money – and several million more on top of that.]( After almost two weeks of testimony, it took the jury five hours to find the city on the hook for negligent misrepresentation, statutory fraud and a regulatory taking. That’s a verdict worth somewhere between $23 million and $33 million, the jury decided. Judge Craig Smith will ultimately determine the final amount in coming days. 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 [newsletters@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](