Evening Roundup: Ted Cruz opposes Jan. 6 bill, man gets life for cauliflower meth, why some parts of Dallas are hotter

Also, how the 'flattening' makes everything from the vehicle you drive to the home you live in the same [EVENING ROUNDUP](dallasnews.com) dallasnews.com Sponsored by: Content and story selection are solely editorial's decision. Dallas Morning News architecture critic Mark Lamster warns us that 'the flattening' in design --- homes, cars, everything --- is saving us money, but at what cost to quality of life?(Photo illustration by Jeff Meddaugh/Staff Artist ) [Why does everything look the same in North Texas? Blame the ‘flattening’]( Have you noticed that everything now looks the same? Your car, for instance. You probably drive an SUV (more than 50% of new car sales in the United States are SUVs), and every SUV pretty much looks like every other SUV. It is probably in some shade of white, gray or black, because the overwhelming majority of new cars are colorless. Yes, there are superficial differences, and yes we suffer over them as buyers and owners, but the truth is that these cars are substantially alike. The SUV might be the most extreme, or at least the most glaring, example of creeping sameness, but [that same evolutionary process is evident across our culture](. Call it “The Flattening,” a gradual draining of character from just about every corner of our lives. [READ MORE](   ADVERTISEMENT   THE LATEST NEWS [Dallas may consider $1 million plan to give hundreds of low-income families cash]( The City Council on Wednesday approved carrying over at least $20 million in excess sales tax revenue into the [...] [Here’s why some Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Dallas are hotter than other areas]( Areas with lots of concrete and less vegetation can be more than 10 degrees hotter than surrounding rural [...] [Dallas officers fatally shoot man who opened fire at police in Casa View]( The man’s name was not immediately released. No officers were injured, police said. [Texas Sen. Ted Cruz makes lonely stand against election bill prompted by Jan. 6 riot]( WASHINGTON - Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was sole dissenter Tuesday as Republicans and Democrats came [...] [Elton John, Diana Krall, Keith Urban, My Chemical Romance on tour this week in D-FW]( Here are our top five concerts picks playing at North Texas venues this week. [READ MORE NEWS](   ADVERTISEMENT   CRIME AND COURTS [Court denies Paxton’s request to reverse ruling preventing AG voter fraud investigations]( The ruling could have far reaching implications, including derailing a possible legislative effort to empower [...] [Mansfield man gets 4 years for violently assaulting officers at January 6 Capitol riot]( Lucas Denney of Mansfield was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for violently assaulting [...] [After meth found concealed in cauliflower, Dallas man sentenced to life in prison]( Joaquin Salinas, 48, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty in March to conspiracy to possess with intent [...]   BUSINESS [It was a big year for Texas’ wealthy, with 43 scoring spots on Forbes’ richest list]( In Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones continues to widen his lead over every other billionaire in town, with a [...] [Hurricane Ian closes Florida airports, causes thousands of flight cancellations]( Airlines have canceled more than 2,800 flights for the region through Thursday, and American Airlines issued a [...] [Bookkeeping errors drove a Dallas entrepreneur to create his own software]( Marcus Cooksey’s DUKE.AI now has 7,000 users and 10 different trucking companies, and the backing of Google's [...]   EDUCATION [Teacher morale, politics and other takeaways on Texas education]( Dallas, Mesquite and Richardson school superintendents sound off on the challenges facing educators. [Texas schools receiving $94M to keep students safe]( The federal funds are aimed at addressing bullying, mental health and school security. [How this Texas university helps farmworkers’ kids through college]( St. Edward’s CAMP program boosts student retention, keeping them on track for graduation.   ADVERTISEMENT   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( [Privacy Policy](dallasnews.com/privacy-policy) | [Account Login]( |[Help Center]( [Terms of Service]( | [Manage Preferences](dallasnews.com/privacy-policy| [Unsubscribe]( The Dallas Morning News 1954 Commerce Street Dallas, TX 75201 © Copyright 2022