Lawmakers push for sweeping reform of Texas toll road policies ... and more news

Garland police on Thursday were investigating the death of a 30-year-old man accused of trying to get away from officers before abandoning his vehicle and jumping off a bridge into Lake Ray Hubbard. The incident occurred just before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. North Texans are turning to a Cedars-based produce market that has gone viral on TikTok. At Cedar Market, a bag of avocados can cost $1.50. Two pounds of strawberries are $3.99. With three videos with over a million views in the last few weeks, it’s clear North Texans are eager to lower their grocery bills and want higher-quality options; century-old buildings in Dallas’ Fair Park have fallen into disrepair as the city and the park’s operators grapple with millions of dollars in budget shortfalls; and a woman is suing an Arlington pastor and his church on various claims, including sexual exploitation and negligence. The lawsuit, filed on Feb. 28 in the District Court of Tarrant County, alleges that Ronnie Goines — the founding and lead pastor of Koinonia Christian Church — groomed a church member before sexually assaulting her twice in 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Dallas Morning News food team discusses reader-favorite sandwiches, judging food competition and the latest restaurant news across North Texas in this episode of Eat Drink D-FW. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A committee of Dallas City Council members voted Wednesday to recommend the city support leaving Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s funding structure untouched amid two proposed state laws that could cut member cities’ contributions by up to 25% each. In other news, the measles outbreak that began in West Texas has rapidly added cases over the past month, with confirmed cases found in the Panhandle and potential exposures reported in San Antonio and San Marcos. So far, the outbreak has not led to any confirmed cases in Dallas-Fort Worth, according to a Tuesday news release from the Texas Department of State Health Services; Forest Hill police officials are searching for 24-year-old Adonis Robinson and 21-year-old Jakobie Russell. They're wanted in the shooting deaths of 35-year old Ronnie Sibley and his 5-year-old daughter. If you have information, you are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS; and the Dallas Cowboys adjusted starting quarterback Dak Prescott’s contract to create $36.6 million in cap space for this season.Coupled with a similar move with CeeDee Lamb, it will result in roughly $56.6 million to work with this offseason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington, Evan Grant and David Moore discuss [1:15] the news from the combine, where Stephen Jones told David about negotiating a deal with Osa Odighizuwa and how the Cowboys would look for a quarterback in the draft. [29:20] Evan tells us the latest from spring training, where Kumar Rocker has failed to show he can make the rotation on opening day. [53:15] And the guys analyze the latest problems for a Mavs ownership and management team that apparently doesn’t understand what makes this market tick.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The measles outbreak that began in West Texas has now grown to 159 confirmed cases. That’s according to the Texas Department of State Health Services in an announcement Tuesday afternoon. The case count, up from 146 cases on Friday, is still spread across nine counties in West Texas and the Panhandle, with no new counties impacted as of Tuesday. In other news, Southwest Airlines will close flight attendant bases in Austin and Fort Lauderdale … the latest in a series of cost-cutting moves by the Dallas-based carrier. Southwest will close the “domiciles” on July, and relocate the 280 flight attendants located in Fort Lauderdale and Austin to other crew bases; one of Tarrant County Sheriff Bill E. Waybourn’s sons was arrested Monday on charges of solicitation of a person under 18, assault on a peace officer and resisting arrest; and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is putting a $5 million pledge to Dallas on hold after he said he was not told about significant changes to the city’s plans for a new academy for police recruits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Police said Monday they had not made any arrests in connection with a fight that led to a stampede at a national cheerleading competition over the weekend, but the investigation is still ongoing. In other news, a Texas health official is warning against “measles parties” as an outbreak grows in West Texas, resulting in the death of at least one unvaccinated school-aged child; the city of Dallas has received a key document in the effort to keep the downtown Neiman Marcus store open as it looks to meet with the company owner; and Dallas City Council member Carolyn King Arnold filed an emergency petition with a state appeals court on Monday seeking a spot on the May 3 election ballot despite already being deemed term-limited by the city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A flurry of bills filed in the first months of the legislative session could reverse state tolling policies that have been in place for decades, an acknowledgment by a growing number of legislators that Texas may have gone too far in its expansion of toll roads. In other news, Last Energy plans to plant 30 micronuclear facilities in Haskell County, as energy companies move to address the voracious power needs of data centers fueling the artificial intelligence boom. The nuclear technology startup announced Friday that it plans to break ground at a 200-acre site in Haskell, a town nearly 180 miles west of Dallas; a panel discussion hosted by the Dallas Morning News in partnership with the nonprofit For Oak Cliff highlighted life and loss in Dallas. The event, which came after a year of reporting and more than 100 stories as part of The Dallas Morning News’ “Life and Loss in Dallas” series, sought to be a place for the paper to hear directly from readers and community leaders about homicide, crime solutions and how its coverage can better tell victims' stories; and the Dallas Cowboys are in discussions with Micah Parsons and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa about contract extensions. The Cowboys may apply the franchise tag on Odighizuwa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world, and as the outbreak in West Texas continues to unfold, questions are circulating about vaccinations — the most infallible tool to protect yourself from infection. Of the 124 cases reported thus far in Texas, the state health department said 119 were in patients who were either unvaccinated, or whose vaccination status was unknown. One unvaccinated child has died. In other news, Saks Global reiterated plans to close the downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus store, adding that it doesn’t have key documents from an agreement with a landlord and the city of Dallas for the site;  the Texas Senate on Thursday passed a bill to ban the use of courier services that facilitate the sale of Texas Lottery tickets. Senate Bill 28 by Republican Sen. Bob Hall of Edgewood was approved 31-0 amid concerns that couriers have hurt the lottery’s reputation; and the explosion of uncertified teachers is a problem — that’s the message Texas’ education chief brought to lawmakers this week. More than half of brand-new educators last year lacked a state certification, meaning it was impossible to know what kind of training they received. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After The Dallas Morning News food team catches up on recent restaurant openings, senior food reporter Sarah Blaskovich interviews some of D-FW's most devoted foodies, one of whom dined at all 15 of Texas' Michelin 1-star restaurants over the course of six weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A unanimous Texas Senate approved a bill Wednesday to give across-the-board pay raises for state teachers. Senators voted 31-0 for Senate Bill 26, sending to the Texas House legislation to give $10,000 a year raises to educators who have five or more years of experience and work in districts with fewer than 5,000 students. Those in larger districts with at least five years in the classroom would get a $5,500 raise, while those with three years of experience would be paid $2,500 a year more. In other news, Neiman Marcus’ downtown store is still slated to close at the end of March, even after Dallas city and business leaders worked to resolve a landlord dispute; U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., says her congressional task force on declassifying government secrets hopes to interview doctors who were at the Dallas hospital where President John F. Kennedy was taken after being fatally shot; And Texas Republicans’ demand for a school voucher-style program appears poised to clear a major hurdle as a slim majority of House members have signaled their support. Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated Wednesday that 75 Republican representatives signed on as co-authors to House Bill 3, priority legislation to create education savings accounts, which would give families access to public dollars to pay for private school tuition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices