News Digest
Hot Dallas data
Despite the unseasonably cool spring weather, extreme summer temperatures are right around the corner.
The City of Dallas, with the help of 100 volunteers, collected data to map where people are most likely to be at risk during extreme heat events. The Urban Heat Island mapping campaign addressed extreme heat, the number one weather-related cause of death in the U.S. for the last three decades.
Volunteers mounted sensors onto their vehicles to capture data at three different times of the day.
Urban heat islands — areas with fewer trees and more pavement that absorbs heat — can be up to 20 degrees hotter than nearby neighborhoods with more trees and grass, and less black asphalt.
The hottest areas include Oak Cliff, Love Field West Residential, Medical District, Pleasant Wood, West Dallas, Gribble, Claremont Addition, Preston Hills, North Dallas, Oak Lawn, Harwood, and Downtown.
Dallas Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) and Dallas Climate Action’s new initiatives aim to mitigate climate change impacts by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing resilience to extreme weather events, and promoting sustainability throughout the city.
“Dallas is a healthy, safe and economically vibrant city. But to be a truly resilient city, Dallas must prepare for the effects of climate change. I want Dallas to continue to be a leader in efforts to reduce emissions and improve our air quality. Through our collective efforts and a focus on common-sense, data-driven solutions, we can ensure that our great city continues to thrive in the decades to come,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said.
Prop U deadline?
The group behind Prop U, Dallas HERO, is threatening to file suit against the city for not maintaining a force of at least 4,000 police officers. The upstart group behind the charter amendment sent notification threatening to take the city to court.
According to its website, Dallas HERO alleges that the city had a force of 3,169 officers as of Feb. 7, 2025 — 831 short of what Prop U requires. HERO said in the letter that the city has 60 days to meet the requirement, or until May 30, 2025, or face potential litigation.
“Prop U is not a suggestion. It’s part of the city’s charter, placed there by the will of the voters. Compliance is not optional. And, City Hall has been flagrantly disregarding this legal mandate since it passed last November,” Dallas HERO executive director Damien LeVeck said.
Police training plan
The Dallas Police Department released a new recruitment video on its Facebook page just hours after Dallas HERO sent its letter. Plans for a new law enforcement training center, which could aid recruitment efforts, also were released in a separate City of Dallas announcement.
Dominique Artis, chief of public safety, indicated the City Manager’s Office, the Dallas Police Department, and the Office of Bond and Construction Management plan to work with the University of North Texas at Dallas to modify a conceptual site plan for the DPD Regional Training Academy and Criminal Justice Center.
“We are committed to providing the promised law enforcement training at UNT Dallas that the voters approved in the 2024 Bond Program and that has been generously supported by State Legislative leaders and philanthropic stakeholders,” Artis said.
Time to vote again
On May 3, voters will head to the polls to decide the Dallas City Council members. Incumbent Gay Donnell Willis and real estate professional Diane W. Benjamin are on the ballot for the District 13 seat. Visit peoplenewspapers.com and dmagazine.com to learn more about them.
