Five stories that have North Texas talking: Indictments are likely to come soon in the John Wiley Price investigation; Dallas County announces it will take in 2,000 immigrant children; two of the Dallas Zoo’s stars are featured in People; and more.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price is scheduled to meet with prosecutors on Wednesday to learn about the years-long federal inquiry against him. Price’s lawyer, Billy Ravkind, told The Dallas Morning News that indictments are likely to come in the next several weeks. He says possible tax evasion charges against Price concern him. Price isn’t interested in a plea deal, Ravkind told the newspaper. No criminal charges have been filed, and Ravkind denies any corruption. “News of the planned meeting comes exactly three years after federal agents searched Price’s home and office,” The Newsreports. “The search warrant cited a number of possible violations, including theft and bribery involving federally funded programs, tax evasion, fraud and money laundering.” Here's more from WFAA-TV (Channel 8).And KXAS-TV (Channel 5) has this story. KDFW-TV (Channel 4) has this story. Read KERA’s earlier coverage here and here.
- Community meetings could begin by the end of the week to discuss the thousands of immigrant children who will soon be cared for in Dallas County. KERA’s Shelley Kofler reports: "On Saturday, at the Democratic state convention, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins announced plans to open facilities that will house at least 2,000 of the 52,000 children who’ve entered the country illegally in recent months. Jenkins says plans to transfer some of the immigrant children to Dallas County began a little over a week ago. Local religious leaders returned from the Rio Grande Valley where they visited cramped holding centers with children eating in rooms with open toilets."
- The Dallas Police Department raised some eyebrows when it recently posted a video on its blog of two officers rescuing a man from a bridge overpass earlier this month. KERA’s Pablo Arauz Pena reports: "Officers Brad Uptmore and Matthew Parson responded to the report of a distraught man who was clinging to the rail of a bridge at West Northwest Highway and Harry Hines Boulevard near Dallas Love Field. At first, the officers tried talking to the man to convince him not to take his own life. He threatened several times that he was going to jump. The man, who was armed with a knife, eventually dropped his weapon over the bridge. The officers then approached the man and took him into custody. He was taken to a local hospital." Watch the video here.
- Two of the Dallas Zoo’s biggest stars are featured in People magazine. Winspear, a cheetah, and Amani, a black Labrador retriever, get a full page in the June 30 edition. They’ve been raised together since they were 2 month months old. They’ve bonded like brothers, People says. Amani likes to lick Winspear, who will purr. “They grew even closer last January when Winspear’s brother Kamau died of a respiratory infection.” These dog-cat partnerships are becoming more common at zoos, including San Diego and Cincinnati, People says. Catch up on KERA’s coverage of these cute animals. (And here.)
- Two Texans appeared on “Rising Star,” the new ABC reality singing show, Sunday night. Will Roth of Watauga wowed the crowd with his performance of “Sweater Weather” by The Neighborhood. Egypt Dixon of Texarkana sang “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea. The show premiered last week, so Sunday’s show featured a second round of auditions. Roth moved on to the next round, but Dixon didn’t advance. During the show, “viewers vote in real-time via an app to determine if the singer will advance,” ABC says. Here’s how the show describes Roth: “Will describes himself as a nerd and a true gentleman. He is a vet tech by day, who sings to the animals to comfort them as they are being put down, and at night, he is a private investigator. Will loves videogames and Game of Thrones, archery and camping. Though he’s quiet in everyday life, he says he’s a lion on stage, and is driven by moving people emotionally through his music.”
