Richardson schools to open Friday, but when will city boil water notice end? ... and more news

The Dallas Morning News food team catches up on the local dining scene and childhood memories while enjoying holiday tea on-site at the Dallas Arboretum's DeGolyer House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The City of Dallas may be in for another lawsuit if it doesn’t enforce a state law that bans unauthorized camping in public spaces and removes homeless encampments from its sidewalks. Dallas Hero, the nonprofit that led the ballot measure to waive municipal immunity and expose the city to lawsuits if it violates the charter and state law, sent a 60-day notice to the Dallas City Council on Wednesday. In other news, the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons is officially dead — and that just might be good news for Dallas-Fort Worth shoppers; Dallas could spend up to $15 million to get the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center ready to be the media hub for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup despite ongoing plans to tear it down for a new one. The City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to approve the terms of an eight-month deal with FIFA to use the downtown convention center as the tournament’s international broadcast center, which would host the main feed used to broadcast all World Cup matches and be the home base for thousands of journalists and broadcasters covering the event; And the Texas Rangers have moved into the Bullpen Eras of their offseason tour. The club on Wednesday agreed to a one-year deal with changeup artist right-hander Jacob Webb, who spent last season with Baltimore, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Dallas Morning News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington and Evan Grant [1:11] discuss the latest Cowboy catastrophe in a season chock full of them. More bad news: DeMarvion Overshown, the brightest light of a dim bulb of a Cowboys season, is out for who knows how long with another major knee injury. Kevin and Evan discuss Troy Aikman’s assertion that, short of Bill Belichick, no candidate for coach would be more qualified than Mike McCarthy. Can Jerry Jones really sell that to an angry fan base? [26:03] The guys also analyze what went wrong for Texas and SMU in their league title games and what their chances are going into first-round games next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time in five years, Texas was downgraded from an inbound migration state to neutral for those moving from other states in the U.S. That’s according to a new report from Atlas Van Lines. In other news, Jorgie Boy, the spider monkey who catapulted to internet fame after he was seized last month by Dallas police, has returned home; The Rangers agreed to terms with their top free-agent target Nathan Eovaldi on a three-year, back-loaded $75 million deal, two people with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed to The Dallas Morning News; and, Thomas Avenue Beverage Company, the Dallas bar known as TABC has been brought back from the dead nearly 30 years after it opened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It will be mostly cloudy, breezy and a good bit cooler than yesterday in Dallas. The high will be 52. Breezy and chilly this evening with a low of 35. A Terrell police officer was shot and killed Sunday during a traffic stop. Officer Jacob Candanoza pulled a vehicle over around 11 p.m. in the Super 8 motel parking lot in the 1600 block of South State Highway 34 and requested assistance. Moments later, Terrell police dispatchers received two 911 calls reporting an officer shot. In other news, poor planning and inadequate communication led to the deaths of six people in a 2022 mid-air plane collision. That’s according to the National Transportation and Safety Board’s investigation that was announced Monday; TXSE’s search for a permanent home “in the heart of Dallas” is ongoing. For now, the Texas Stock Exchange will temporarily be based in Weir’s Plaza, a 12-story mixed-use space on the border of Highland Park; The holiday season is a scammer’s dream. While people are spending more money, scammers often take advantage of people who do not protect their information. Check out a few tips on how to avoid scams at DallasNews.com; And the Dallas Cowboys found a new way to lose last night. Instead it was a 27-20 loss at AT&T Stadium last night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

t will be mostly sunny and warmer today with a high of 70. Clouds will move in this evening and the temperature will drop into the low 40s in preparation for Tuesday’s high of only 49. It took three rounds of voting, but two-term Rep. David Cook emerged Saturday as the choice of most House Republicans for speaker when the Texas Legislature convenes in January. It may not be enough. Shortly after the closed-door meeting at the Capitol ended with Cook’s selection, his opponent — Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock — announced that with support from Democrats, he had the votes needed to become speaker. In other news, A man fatally shot near a park in Seagoville was identified by the Dallas County medical examiner’s office; Steve Sarkisian filed his own complaint Sunday about the College Football Playoff process, adding to the pile around committee members. Sarkisian took issue with first-round byes for the four highest-ranked conference champs. If the byes went instead to the four highest-ranked teams regardless of whether they’re wearing league crowns, Texas would be off until New Year’s.  Meanwhile, SMU fans and players were forced to sweat it out for more than half an hour watching ESPN’s College Football Playoff Selection Show Sunday, but ultimately they got the reward they deserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A mix of sun and clouds today with a chance of an afternoon shower. The high will be 51. Clouds and more rain on the way this evening with an overnight low of 40. It will be a rainy weekend as well. Rain is expected both days with the high on Saturday of 53 and Sunday will get to 59. Lows will be in the mid-40s. In the council chambers on Thursday, flanked by 14 of his peers on the Dallas City Council, Mayor Eric Johnson began his assessment of the city’s track record with an emphasis on 4 P’s: public safety, parks, potholes and property tax relief. In other news, Dallas-Fort Worth residents who regularly travel the TEXpress lane network can get exclusive savings and prizes as part of a new pilot program through the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Geico is putting a “down payment” on North Texas with the unveiling of its commercial insurance regional operations hub in Richardson on Thursday. The company, best known for private car insurance, is looking to grow its new venture covering small businesses, and it is investing in its existing Richardson campus to do so. The expansion will bring 500 new jobs to Richardson. And Dallas will move forward with plans to consider adding digital kiosks on sidewalks around the city, which could include paying nearly $1 million to get rid of existing non-electronic stands before their 2028 contract end date. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After catching up on the Thanksgiving holiday, The Dallas Morning News food team discusses restaurants in the Dallas area that are quieter and calmer amid a loud season, in addition to answering other questions from listeners and readers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Retailers, including Walmart and Kroger, issued recall warnings to consumers for cucumbers tied to potential salmonella contamination from a supplier. Walmart voluntarily recalled “Marketside Fresh Cut Cucumber Slices” at 34 Texas stores because of the potential for salmonella contamination. That includes several locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including three in Dallas, two in Plano and Garland along with other locales such as Allen, Frisco and McKinney. Kroger, which has several stores in D-FW, issued a recall for 36-count cucumber items sold in Dallas for purchases between Oct. 16 and Nov. 29. The moves come after SunFed Produce in Arizona recalled whole fresh American cucumbers packaged in bulk cardboard containers and were sold between Oct. 12 and Nov. 26. In other news, concluding a weekslong trial, a jury issued the death penalty Wednesday for Jason Alan Thornburg. He was convicted of killing and dismembering three people more than three years ago in an Euless motel room. Next up, a Dallas Morning News investigation found that North Texas meth sentences are the longest in the nation. The News’ analysis of 10 years of federal sentencing data from October 2013 through September 2023 shows that the national median sentence for a federal meth crime is six years. And Seager & Sons, a 1970s-inspired restaurant, is set to open in Plano next Tuesday. The restaurant is near State Highway 121 and the Dallas North Tollway, at the Boardwalk at Granite Park, where 33 Restaurant Group already owns Union Bear and Suburban Yacht Club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington, Evan Grant and David Moore talk football, football and more football. [4:27] Kevin says Texas may be ready for Georgia in the rematch in Atlanta because of its improved running game, and Evan makes the case that SMU should make the College Football Playoff even if it loses to Clemson in the ACC title game. [25:16] David spells out a scenario in which the Cowboys could possibly make the playoffs. The guys are unanimous that it would be a bad idea. And they reveal how many of the Cowboys' remaining five games look winnable as starters return from injuries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices