More than 80 bills filed on LGBTQ issues in Texas Legislature reveal lawmakers' focus ... and more news

The mother of a 5-year-old boy found dead in South Dallas was sentenced to life in prison last week for beating the child. 29 year old Tiffany Williams was found guilty Friday of injury to a child in connection with the 2022 death of Zamaurian Kizzee. The boy’s legal father, 77 year old Ulysses Kizzee, faces a charge of injury to a child by omission. In other news, Southwestern Health Resources, which includes the medical providers and hospitals at Texas Health Resources and UT Southwestern are no longer in-network for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas insurance plans, including commercial plans, as well as Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans; Big Bend National Park in Texas could soon expand by thousands of acres. Three lawmakers — U.S. Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Ben Ray Luján D-New Mexico, and U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio — introduced a bill in Congress last month to acquire roughly 6,100 acres along the park’s western boundary; and April is Dallas Arts Month and the city is buzzing with fresh, interactive ways to experience art and music. Check out the trends taking over the city in today’s edition of the Dallas Morning News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cargill Kitchen Solutions is recalling nearly 215,000 pounds of its liquid egg products that were sold in Texas and other places because the food could possibly contain a cleaning solution made with sodium hypochlorite. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said the recalled liquid egg items were produced on March 12 and 13, and have the establishment number “G1804” printed on the carton. The recall on the liquid egg products is considered Class III, which means FSIS scientists concluded that use of the item should not cause adverse health consequences – or the risk is negligible. However, consumers and foodservice locations are urged to not consume or serve these products; In other news, North Texas food providers are scrambling to find a way to fill a $9.2 million funding gap following cuts in March to two U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that bought food from local farmers; Dallas HERO threatened Monday to file a lawsuit if the city did not adhere to a November voter mandate to hire 900 more police officers and meet with the nonprofit to review the budget. It’s the second time the nonprofit has said it would sue the city since voters approved two controversial changes to the city charter; and Texas House budget writers on Monday endorsed a $337.4 billion state spending plan for the next two years, sending it to the floor for a vote expected next week. Passing a balanced spending plan for the 2026-27 cycle, which starts in September Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thousands of people convened in downtown Dallas Sunday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies in the 2025 Mega March. In other news, state authorities are abruptly shutting down a string of North Texas assisted living facilities, leaving families scrambling to relocate their elderly and high-needs loved ones. Texas Health and Human Services informed families on Thursday that the agency is shutting down a number of facilities operated by Silver Leaf Assisted Living; Monday was supposed to be the day that Neiman Marcus closed its doors for good at the iconic downtown site. Instead, it got a 9-month lifeline and a planned “reimagination” of the future. There were moving parts, but consumers — and their love for the store — was something of a surprise for Saks Global CEO Marc Metrick during the process; and it's a battle of Texas tonight in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Elite Eight matchup between TCU and Texas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yolanda Saldívar, who shot and fatally wounded Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez almost 30 years ago, has been denied parole. In other news, Frisco police say they are investigating after a bullet struck a school Thursday morning, though they don’t believe the campus was targeted. An officer responded to “a suspicious circumstance” at Hosp Elementary just before 9:30 a.m. It said the officer found a shattered classroom window and subsequently what was believed to be bullet fragments; insurance giant Geico announced plans to add 1,000 jobs and a new 165,000-square-foot building in Richardson; and the Allen City Council on Tuesday approved $5.5 million in downtown improvement funds to buy and clean up a 7-acre parcel along U.S. Highway 75, just north of Main Street. No specific projects have been proposed but “commercial is the only kind of use” the city would consider. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 2 of Beyond Talking Points: An American Middle Podcast kicks off with an episode about the economy. Host Abby McCloskey talks with Doug Holtz Eakin of the American Action Forum and former director of the Congressional Budget Office about tariffs, taxes and the Trump economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington, Evan Grant and David Moore discuss  [00:32] the Cowboys’ offseason and how it impacts their draft process next month. Kevin says it requires the Cowboys to draft for need more than they ought to, though he has the perfect pick for them at 12. (Hint: Think burnt orange). David says we shouldn’t discount the possibility that Amari Cooper signs with the Cowboys, maybe as soon as this weekend. [24:15] Evan tells us why Evan Carter will start the season in Triple-A and how long both Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter likely will remain in the rotation. [47:27] David says the Mavs should play Anthony Davis now that he’s healthy; Kevin and Evan vote to quit now. And the guys talk about what’s left of their men’s brackets going into the Sweet 16. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Dallas Morning News food team has a few things on their minds: the new food offerings at Texas Rangers games, Fort Worth's new Shogun Taqueria, and a 25-course menu celebrating the 25th anniversary of Tim Love's Lonesome Dove. Plus, the team shares some of their after-work dinner hacks to save time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dallas City Council approved plans by a 10-4 vote to turn Pepper Square, a Far North Dallas shopping center, into a mixed-use development with more than 850 apartments. In other news, just a month before Canada Rinaldi was set to walk down the aisle with her soon-to-be husband, she was attacked and brutally beaten by a man she did not know in Deep Ellum; Federal officials depicted a startling account of racism and discrimination at a North Texas homeowners association: Racial slurs flooding neighborhood Facebook pages as white supremacist organizations passed out flyers; and it’s opening day in major league baseball. The Texas Rangers get their 2025 campaign underway today with a four game series against the Boston Red Sox. Nathan Eovaldi will take the mound at Globe Life Field at 3:05. It’s important the Rangers get to slugging right out of the gate. With a starting rotation down two starters and a bullpen that is likely to be running a shuttle of long relievers between Arlington and Triple-A Round Rock, the Rangers need the strength of their team to show up early. Especially at home.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Dallas Mavericks want a new home. Whether it will be within the city limits or moved farther away from the urban core remains to be seen. The NBA franchise and city leaders have remained quiet on potential sites to avoid driving up the final price. In other news, Texas lawmakers zeroed-in on classroom discipline during a Tuesday hearing, with one Republican senator saying public schools are serving a “different type of kid today than what there was 20 years ago.” ; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Tuesday it would resubmit plans for a new temple in the town of Fairview, possibly forestalling a threatened lawsuit against the small Texas town over the height of the spire; and as part of its greenhouse gas reduction strategy, the city of Dallas leads the region with the largest electric fleet among North Texas cities. The transportation sector, which includes private and public vehicles, trains and planes, contributes 34% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, and 98% of that is attributed to road transportation, according to the Dallas inventory conducted in 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Republicans in the Legislature filed more than 80 bills that would affect LGBTQ Texans, including many focused on public schools that would impact students, teachers and staff. Sex education and gender identity are a particular focus. In other news, the parents of the child who died in Texas' measles outbreak told an anti-vaccine advocacy group that they still wouldn’t recommend the vaccine for other families; when Cindy Clemishire publicly alleged last year that Robert Morris sexually abused her as a child, legal experts said they doubted the former Gateway Church senior pastor would face any criminal charges. That doubt was rooted in statute of limitations laws, which typically determine how long an alleged victim of child sexual abuse can wait before initiating legal action against the person who allegedly abused them; and summer is not too far away, and in North Texas that might mean a trip to Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. However, there are some new park policies to be aware of before you go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices