‘Super flu’ variant is circulating and raising concern ... and more news

A new version of the common flu is spreading globally, and health officials are monitoring this evolving strain of influenza A which has been increasingly detected worldwide. In other news, It’s official: McKinney National Airport has its first airline. Avelo Airlines, the Houston-based budget carrier, signed a five-year use and lease agreement, the airport said Tuesday evening; Dallas Mavericks owner and casino magnate Miriam Adelson urged President Donald Trump to run for a third term in 2028; nd Romeo Santos and Prince Royce will perform together for the first time in Dallas next spring as part of their “Mejor Tarde Que Nunca” tour. In Dallas, they will perform on Saturday, May 9, at American Airlines Center. Tickets go on sale this Friday, Dec. 19. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington, Evan Grant and Joe Hoyt discuss [00:15] the Cowboys’ plight after a miserable game against the Vikings virtually eliminated them from the playoffs. Is their primary need at OT? Safety? Linebacker? Good thing they’ve got extra picks, Joe says. And they may need more.[20:33] Evan breaks down the Rangers’ additions and wonders what else Ray Davis might pay for. [34:05] Evan and Kevin also analyze the CFP hopes for Texas A&M and Oklahoma this week and what gives Texas Tech an advantage in the long run. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nearly a decade ago, a pension crisis in the police and fire retirement system put Dallas in a precarious financial position, making the city a national cautionary tale. The city’s worst years in the past decade were 2016 and 2017, when Dallas had a $528 million deficit amid an exodus of police officers stemming from the pension crisis. Thirty-two year old Matthan Lough of Crandall was arrested last week after Mesquite police obtained a warrant on child grooming charges after investigators received a report in October about possible child grooming at the Christian Center of Mesquite. Lough worked as a teacher and coach at Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy, a charter school, in Mesquite; an office tower in Dallas’ Arts District has traded to a new owner. An affiliate of TRT Holdings, a Dallas-based investment firm that owns the luxury Omni Hotels & Resorts chain, purchased St. Paul Place from Pacific Elm Properties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Talmage Boston interviews journalist and biographer Jonathan Eig about his biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. titled King: A Life. This episode, from the archives, was recorded in Dallas in October 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey will not run for Tarrant County judge in 2026. Veasey will instead serve out the remainder of his congressional term, which ends in January 2027. Veasey said the decision to withdraw from the race was tough. In other news, Dallas Area Rapid Transit announced it will be operating on a modified service schedule and offering free rides for the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s holidays. DART, in partnership with Coors Light, will give away 10,500 free rides on New Year’s Eve. Riders will just need to use the code COORSNYE25 on GoPass in order to receive the deal; a 13,000-square-foot mansion on Hunters Glen Road, ranked recently as the most expensive home in Texas, has been sold for $30.5 million; nd Sabar Barbecue, a trailer in Fort Worth that served smoked meat with Pakistani technique, will close after business Saturday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arnold Patrick’s departure comes as the department remains under a state investigation prompted by reporting from The News in October that uncovered how Patrick paid his state advocacy association colleague $45,100 in a contract to vet vendors despite the consultant acknowledging in an email he did not complete the work. In other news, organizers of Arlington Pride announced Friday they will cancel next year’s event after the City Council rejected a plan to ban discrimination against gay and transgender residents; the Lewisville Police Department said Sunday that one of its officers was arrested last week in connection with a child sex assault; and Sevy's Grill will close next June due to a failed lease negotiation with his landlord. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Five years ago, the body of 28-year-old Christopher Whiteley was found near a wooded creek bed in Hood County, about 55 miles outside of Fort Worth. Deputies theorized a cougar had killed him. Texas wildlife experts said that was impossible. So what really happened? From its earliest moments, an investigation by The Dallas Morning News found the examination into Whiteley’s death was riddled with false assumptions and errors that forensics and wildlife experts say left too many unanswered questions.Now, the fourth season of The Unforgotten podcast from Free Range Productions in association with The Dallas Morning News examines Whiteley’s story in a six-part series entitled “Kill Site.” The series is hosted by Free Range’s Wes Ferguson, a former Texas Monthly editor based near Austin. The podcast draws from a 2021 investigation by former News staff reporter Charles Scudder, who is a contributor on the show. We’re dropping a new episode each Monday here in your Dallas Morning News podcast feed. This is episode 2: “The ghost” — A Texas sheriff blames a mountain lion for the death of Christopher Whiteley, but the search for a killer cat exposes disagreements — and a deeper mystery.This series contains mature subject matter and strong language, listener discretion is advised. Read The News’ 2021 report on Whiteley’s case, complete with maps, timelines and visuals: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/investigations/2021/09/23/authorities-say-a-hood-county-man-was-killed-by-a-cougar-texas-wildlife-experts-say-its-impossible/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Texas Education Agency will remove Lake Worth ISD’s elected school board and superintendent, and appoint a board of managers to govern the district, Education Commissioner Mike Morath said on Thursday. In other news, a month has passed since Charles Hosch, a Southern Methodist University law professor and Dallas attorney, went missing. Family and friends continue the search in a remote hiking area in Georgia; the third phase of ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup opened Thursday, and the prices immediately sparked outrage among local fans. One Fort Worth resident who’s attended the past three world cups in Brazil, Russia, and Qatar said, “what FIFA is doing is inconceivable,” and was stunned by the soaring costs in this latest sales window; and the Original Roy Hutchins Barbeque will open a second restaurant in the area near the home fields for the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers and the Interstate 30 frontage road. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dallas real estate CEO Robert “Bob” Lovell was ordered this week to pay $5.7 million in damages and fees after a judge determined he repeatedly forced a former employee to perform sex acts and then retaliated against her when she refused. In other news, some Texans are finding out from their doctor's offices that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas insurance plan would no longer be considered in-network; the Texas Rangers are not interested in trading Corey Seager. The Red Sox, Yankees, and Braves have all expressed interest though; and for years, officials at the highest level of Dallas city government knew crime was a problem at Roseland, a public housing complex in Old East Dallas. In twenty eighteen, the city entered into a special agreement with Dallas Housing Authority to keep crime in check. That arrangement was different from what was at the time a new, aggressive plan to protect the public at high-crime private properties. Police reports show that since the agreement was signed, at least seven people have been killed at Roseland, including a nine-year-old girl. Twenty others were wounded by gunfire. A Dallas Morning News investigation shows that over the following seven years, the agreement was never fully followed, and the violent crime at Roseland persisted. The News found numerous ways in which D-H-A and the city fell short in addressing crime and protecting residents, including failures to follow their own agreement. See the full investigation dallasnews.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington, Evan Grant and Calvin Watkins discuss [00:12] the Cowboys’ loss to the Lions and what it means for their playoff hopes, even after the Eagles’ loss to the Chargers. They also argue over whether the Cowboys should pay George Pickens after his body language last week considering his track record in Pittsburgh. [22:12] Evan calls in from the MLB winter meetings to analyze the Rangers’ outfield situation, particularly in center, where he makes the case that Wyatt Langford should start. [41:08] And Evan and Kevin dive into the CFP, Notre Dame’s gripe and the chances for Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices