SportsDay Insider: Texas and SMU football, Rangers moves and why are the Cowboys winning now?

Jimmy Carter, the one-term president of the post-Watergate era whose unparalleled peace-making during a remarkable 40-year post-presidential period earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100. In other news, the Dallas Cowboys lost 41-7 at Philadelphia on Sunday but it won’t necessarily determine Mike McCarthy’s fate. Five years of results as the Cowboys head coach tilts the scales more than anything that happens in the final eight days of the regular season. But what the Eagles did to a Dallas team that had won four of its last five games on an unseasonably warm afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field didn’t help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dallas Animal Services is set to host “Calming the Canines” on Dec. 31, designed to alleviate the stress experienced by shelter pets during the New Year’s Eve fireworks. The event will begin at 10:30 p.m. and finish up around 12:30 a.m., and DAS is calling on the community to participate in the initiative; In other news, venture into the great outdoors on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with Texas Parks and Wildlife. The state agency will once again host First Day Hikes, a way to start the new year (and those resolutions for better health) on the right foot. Ray Roberts Lake State Park, an hour north of Dallas is hosting its second Tri-Park-A-Thon. Attendees can choose to join for nearly a full day of activity or just for a leg of the journey. The first hike is at 9 a.m., second is at 11, and then again at 1:30 p.m. Each hike is between two and five miles. Hikers who complete all three hikes receive a prize; what makes Plano one of the best cities in the country to raise kids? For many it comes down to affordability, education, child care, family fun and socioeconomics. This year, personal finance company WalletHub ranked Plano the fourth best city in the country to raise a family; And if 2024 was the year inflation altered how often we dined in Dallas-Fort Worth, 2025 will be the year we take back our seat at the table. Emily Williams Knight, president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association said, “Cautious optimism” is the catchphrase in the new year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Kristine J. Guleserian is the director of the congenital heart surgery program at Medical City Children’s Hospital in Dallas. The 56-year old surgeon treats tiny patients on a daily basis, operating on babies who are born with improperly functioning hearts. Guleserian has a lot of professional experience with pediatric heart defects; In other news, ScholarShot offers scholarships and mentors low-income and first-generation college students with individualized plans and support through graduation. The organization takes 50 students every year from a pool of about 1,200 applicants. The program aims to solve a statewide problem: Many low-income students who enroll in college don’t ever graduate; first responders in Sherman are searching for a missing 8-year-old girl who was swept into a drainage ditch on Christmas Eve after a car crashed off US Highway 75. Crews searched for the girl much of the night and picked up again Christmas morning. ; And the Dallas Mavericks nearly pulled off a Christmas Day miracle but lost 105-99 to Minnesota. The Mavs’ Luka Doncic injured his left calf in the first quarter and will undergo an MRI on Thursday, a person with knowledge of the injury confirmed Wednesday to The Dallas Morning News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, has missed votes in Congress since the summer and her son said she has been “having some dementia issues late in the year.” The last time the 81-year-old congresswoman cast a vote on the House floor was the morning of July 24. In other news, Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with The Apprentice, is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration; Despite beating the Tampa Bay Bucs Sunday night, the Cowboys have been eliminated from the playoff race; And the Texas Rangers sent first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to Washington in exchange for lefty reliever Robert Garcia, the second lefty offspeed savant acquired by the club in a week. The 28-year old Garcia pitched 59 2/3 innings for Washington last year with a 4.22 ERA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Clear skies and an abundance of sunshine today in Dallas with a high of 56. Clear tonight as well with a low of 34. Sunny and a little cooler tomorrow. Saturday’s high will be 53 with a low of 39. Some clouds will move in on Sunday with not much fluctuation between the high of 56 and the low of 50. President-elect Donald Trump lambasted U.S. Rep. Chip Roy after the Texas Republican pushed back on Trump’s call to suspend or abolish the debt ceiling. Trump posted criticism on social media Thursday that included an implicit political threat to the Austin congressman as he invoked the example of U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who lost in the primary this year after getting crosswise with Trump. In other news, two ministries that broadcast TV shows on Daystar Television Network have announced they are parting ways with the Bedford-based company, which has been rocked by a family rift over child abuse allegations. LoveIsrael, a Bible teaching ministry led by Baruch Korman, announced in a YouTube video Tuesday that the organization is taking its shows off Daystar’s network; imagine a second arena in downtown Dallas. Imagine a second convention center and tourist hub, except this one would include an opulent arena, multiple luxury hotels and abundant fine dining. And casino gambling. While pondering realistic, foreseeable-future scenarios for downtown Dallas, it’s hard to imagine one that would be more transformative. But would it be for the better? That is the deeply layered, multibillion-dollar question that must be answered — likely within the next five years — as the Mavericks and Stars weigh arena possibilities; Earlier this year, Housing Forward counted fewer people experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties compared to the year before in January. In September, city officials and Housing Forward partnered with a coalition of nonprofits to embark on operation Street to Home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Through the medium of a White Elephant party, The Dallas Morning News food team shares ideas for favorite foods to take to a holiday gathering. The team also discusses a new restaurant in Dallas' Bishop Arts neighborhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Texas Legislature is facing pressure to find creative ways to reform the state’s toll road system amid a growing chorus of vocal critics, including some Republican state lawmakers. From 2001 to 2021, Texas built more toll road miles than nearly all other states combined, according to the Dallas Morning News ongoing investigation, “Toll Trap.” In other news, Texas Republicans are demanding the Biden administration stop selling unused parts of the border wall that runs along the U.S.-Mexico divide; two malls in Dallas-Fort Worth are ready to help shoppers with a growing technology service: drone deliveries. Stonebriar Centre in Frisco and Hulen Mall in Fort Worth are rolling out deliveries through Wing drone service and DoorDash, the popular app for getting items to your door. Both malls are part of Brookfield Properties, which has shopping centers across the country. Over 50 merchants are available to folks within roughly 4 miles of the malls for deliveries from Wing, which is part of Google’s parent company, Alphabet; And more people today may care about the future of downtown Dallas — but sometimes it feels like many of them have a different take on where the heart of the city is. With over 1 million people joining North Texas since 2010, many ideas are in flux about what sidewalks, buildings and parks are within downtown borders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington, Evan Grant and David Moore discuss [4:27] the Cowboys’ third win in their last four games, even if it was just Carolina. David says it’s probably not enough to save Mike McCarthy’s job, but, with Bill Belichick off the market, the list of successors becomes problematic. [27:45] The guys make their CFP predictions about SMU (gonna be cold up there in Happy Valley) and Texas (hard to beat at home unless you’re Georgia). [48:49] Chris Young gets kudos for his excellent winter meetings performance, and Kevin tries to wish everyone well in the last podcast of 2024 but gets cut off by Evan, as usual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Texas House committee on Tuesday subpoenaed death row inmate Robert Roberson to testify Friday at the Capitol. The 58-year old Roberson was sentenced to the death penalty for the 2003 death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki. In other news, the body of Texas native, a U.S. Army vet killed fighting for Ukraine, returned home Tuesday; the Dallas County Commissioners Court has given its elections vendor an ultimatum: prove the software problems that plagued the Nov. 5 general election are solved or lose the county’s business; And Dallas is once again playing an early role in the physical rollout of a brand for Kendra Scott, who launched her namesake jewelry brand more than two decades ago. Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott has planted a flag in Dallas’ West Village. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An existing program is Whole Home Dallas, which connects residents with resources for essential home improvements, including weatherization, to improve home resiliency and reduce energy costs. Also, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham invited President-elect Donald Trump to build an immigrant detention center on a state-owned 1,400-acre ranch less than a 10-minute drive from Rio Grande City, the county seat; a Mesquite officer shot a person multiple times early Monday after police responded to sounds of gunfire and witnessed a vehicle crash, officials said. Shortly before 3 a.m., officers near Interstate 30 and Sorrento Boulevard heard gunfire from near the interstate, according to a news release from the police department; And, seafood restaurant Pesca opened in Trinity Groves, the restaurant park in West Dallas last week. It comes from Jesus Carmona, whose erstwhile restaurant Tacos Mariachi got a high-profile visit from Guy Fieri for an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network in 2018. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices