Dallas police zip-tied dozens in homeless sweep ... and more news

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson was not always easy to reach during several behind-the-scenes economic development discussions over the past year, even as business leaders sought direct contact with him. In other news, Frisco ISD trustees named Todd Fouche as the lone finalist to become the next superintendent after a unanimous vote Thursday evening; Ashley Furniture is ending its manufacturing operations at a site in Mesquite. The retailer will cut 266 positions with the move that consolidates production efforts; and why is barbecue so contentious? Dallas Morning News Food Reporter Sarah Blaskovich asked for insight from Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The arguments capped the two-week trial stemming from the July 4 protest last year in which an Alvarado police officer was shot and wounded. Jury deliberations will begin Thursday.  In other news, customers of Invitation Homes, a Dallas-based single-family home landlord, could get a piece of a $47.2 million settlement the Federal Trade Commission announced on Wednesday; a development in southern Dallas is a finalist for a competition hosted by Elon Musk’s The Boring Company. Hoque Global’s University Hills project is among 16 other finalists for the drilling company’s plan to construct a mile-long tunnel; and Rep. Marc Veasey is urging Major League Baseball and the Texas Rangers to remove a recently installed statue at the team’s ballpark that he says honors a law enforcement officer linked to segregation-era resistance to school integration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington and Evan Grant team up from Surprise for an all-Rangers, all-the-time podcast. [3:45] Who's the star of camp this spring? What's going on with Josh Jung? What does the back end of the rotation look like? If the Rangers get off to a bad start, will Chris Young conduct a fire sale? And how's the new ABS challenge system working out so far? All this and more in a spring training special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Mavericks star Luka Doncic is no longer with his longtime fiancée, AnnaMaria Goltesh, and is seeking custody of their two daughters. In other news, several North Texas evangelical leaders are publicly vouching for Sen. John Cornyn’s morality and conservative credentials as the longtime incumbent faces a fierce Republican runoff with Attorney General Ken Paxton; North Texas families are navigating spring break travel plans both to Mexico, which was rocked by violence last month and elsewhere with higher gas prices and the Iran war complicating travel and squeezing household budgets at a time families are already struggling with rising costs; and a new federal proposal aimed at speeding approval of gene therapies for ultra-rare diseases could offer renewed hope to North Texans. The idea would allow the FDA to approve treatments if there is plausible evidence they address the underlying biological cause of a disease — even without large clinical trials. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Goodbye Dallas, hello Emerald City. Southwest Airlines is once again offering nonstop flights from Love Field Airport, where it is the dominant carrier, to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. In other news, as early as last May, AT&T’s exit from downtown Dallas appeared likely as CEO John Stankey questioned the “effective/sustained governance” of Dallas; in a year of firsts for Cooper Flagg, growing frustration led to another for Mavs rookie; and Hi, D-FW!  Come visit us at our pop-up newsroom event at Shops at RedBird today from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pull up a chair to chat with reporters, editors and visual journalists to discuss story ideas or receive a free headshot.  We'll be set up from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 10 through 12 at The DEC Network, 3560 W. Camp Wisdom Road, Suite 200. We’re here to connect and listen. See y'all there! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More than 2.3 million voted in the Democratic primary, the party’s highest turnout since at least 2000. It also marked the first time since 2008 that Democratic participation exceeded Republican turnout. In other news, Lancaster beat previously unbeaten Austin Westlake to win the UIL Class 6A Division II state championship; No. 4 Texas beat three-time defending champion and third-ranked South Carolina 78-61 on Sunday to win its first Southeastern Conference Tournament title.  In the Big 12 Championship game, West Virginia avenged two regular-season losses to TCU, beating the reigning Tournament champion 62-53 in this year’s conference title game on Sunday; and Snarf's Sandwiches opened another location in North Dallas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our food team is growing! In this episode, we introduce the newest member of the DMN crew before diving headfirst into the glorious chaos of a Weird Sausage Taste Test — dubbed the "Fizzy Glizzy" — where nothing is off-limits and palatability is not guaranteed. We also have the scoop on a Giant Hot Dog Challenge making waves in the D-FW dining scene (think: meat sweats, bragging rights, and a very big bun). And because we believe in balance, we swing to the other end of the food spectrum to talk salads — the local spots that are doing them right, the ones that break your heart and why a great salad in Dallas is both rarer and more exciting than it should be.Eat Drink D-FW is your guide to the Dallas-Fort Worth food scene at dallasnews.com/food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just as Team USA is about to start its quest for the World Baseball Classic title, manager Mark DeRosa, a Ranger in 2005-06, joins John and Evan to discuss his team's chances, his fervor for putting together the roster and even the possibility of Wyatt Langford joining the roster at some point in the tournament. But first, John and Evan run through the various injuries impacting the Rangers in spring training and mull the pitching situation. Finally, the guys end their historic tour of Rangers spring training sites with reminiscing over the surprise move to Surprise. What once was a dusty little desert ghost town sure has grown up, but the facility has remained leading edge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The local Republican Party’s decision to revert Dallas County to precinct-based voting caused hundreds of voters to go to the wrong polling sites on Tuesday – but it also triggered a cascade of problems within county operations that further derailed voters. In other news, parents in Coppell ISD are demanding answers after ammunition was found on three separate occasions on a middle school campus; Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to press forward with his GOP challenge to incumbent Sen. John Cornyn despite President Donald Trump’s demand that the candidates wrap up the fight; and expect possible delays on Interstate 30 as more of the Canyon project’s 2.3 mile stretch begins construction. The Texas Department of Transportation broke ground on the I-30 Canyon project Thursday morning in downtown Dallas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Interfaith leaders in the Park Cities are urging residents to fight proposed service reductions by Dallas Area Rapid Transit, saying the cuts could leave workers, low-income worshippers and people with disabilities without reliable access to jobs, services and churches. In other news, President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded an end to the Republican Senate race in Texas, promising to soon endorse either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or his challenger Attorney General Ken Paxton; the Republican fight for attorney general heads to a runoff that will test whether Mayes Middleton or Chip Roy can consolidate support from voters who backed their eliminated rivals. The race could also become more volatile as Middleton and Roy now have only one target left: each other; and Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of getting a first job, squeezing opportunities for young and entry-level workers in fields most exposed to AI while boosting pay for more experienced employees whose know-how is harder for software to imitate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices