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Baylor Frat Suspended Pending Investigations After Holding ‘Mexican-Themed’ Party

Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune
Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Five stories that North Texas talking: Baylor frat suspended for “racially insensitive event”; HMK Ltd. residents face looming deadline; what’s Pudge doing at the state Capitol?; and more.

A Baylor fraternity has been temporarily suspended for holding a Mexican-themed party Saturday. “Cinco de Drinko” party-goers reportedly dressed in blue-collar work attire as well as sombreros and serapes with brown paint on their faces. Also, attendees to Kappa Sigma’s party reportedly chanted to build a wall, referencing Trump’s plan to construct a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Reports largely come from party photos circulating on social media. Baylor officials have no direct evidence of students wearing brown face paint, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald. However, both the university and the fraternity’s national organization are conducting an investigation into the details of the event, The Dallas Morning News reports.

 

In a statement, Kevin Jackson, Baylor’s vice president for student life, said “the reported behavior is deeply concerning and does not in any way reflect Baylor’s institutional values.” Outraged protesters on Monday called on Baylor administrators to address what Jackson called a “racially insensitive event.” Student organizations drafted a list of initiatives for the university to implement as a result of the incident. [The Dallas Morning News, Waco Tribune-Herald, Baylor Lariat]

  • The days are numbered for 305 weathered rental homes, most of them in West Dallas. The city said the homes, owned by HMK Ltd., aren’t up to the city’s housing codes, which were strengthened in September. So the landlord had to choose: Bring the homes up to code or close up shop. He picked the latter. With a June 3 deadline looming, many families living in those homes already have left. But some people remain with no plan for their next move. Explore our One Crisis Away series, “No Place To Go.” [KERA News]

 

  • The suspected gunman who shot and critically injured a Dallas paramedic Monday had a criminal history. Derick Lamont Brown, 36, killed one person and critically wounded a paramedic and another person, during a shooting Monday in an East Dallas neighborhood. Brown was later found dead in his home by a police robot. The paramedic, identified as William An, 36, has been with Dallas Fire Rescue for almost 11 years. Although An is stable, he’ll need further surgery. Here’s the full story. [KERA News]

 

  • Five North Texas artists received small grants from the Nasher to complete proposed projects. For the third year, the Nasher Sculpture Museum in Dallas has awarded $2,000 “microgrants” to local artists to pursue their studio work. This year’s recipients include Chelsey Antoinette, Eileen Maxson, Giovanni Valderas and Montoya Williams of Dallas and Marcela Reyes of Garland. The next call for artist proposals will be in March 2018. Check out the grant-winning work. [Art&Seek]

 

  • State lawmakers celebrated former Texas Rangers catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez at the Capitol Tuesday. The 45-year-old will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 30 in Cooperstown. Rodriguez was honored by Bedford Republican Rep. Jonathan Stickland with a resolution marking the achievement. Rodriguez played for a number of teams, but he’ll be inducted to the Hall of Fame as a Ranger. He debuted with the Rangers in 1991. [Texas Station Collaborative]

The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.