The Standard’s news roundup gives you a quick hit of interesting, sometimes irreverent, and breaking news stories from all over the state.
Baylor University says former head coach Art Briles failed to report a gang-rape involving five players on his team in 2013.
In a statement to the Dallas Morning News on Friday, the Baptist school said a female student athlete reported the assault to her head coach. The head coach then reported it to Briles and other individuals on Baylor’s athletics team. According to the university’s investigation, that’s where the reporting stopped, which violates federal Title IX rules.
Art Briles’ attorney told the Dallas paper that Baylor’s account is false.
For the last five days in a row – Wednesday through Sunday – people in Dallas have protested against President-elect Donald Trump. On Friday night about 400 demonstrators gathered in a public park downtown. KERA in North Texas spoke with some of the protestors.
Glen Wilcox, 40 years old: “I’m a teacher in Oakcliff and every one of my students is scared – and rightfully so, because for 18 months, the President-elect has been saying that he’s going to be kicking their families out of the country.
“There’s a fear within the community, especially in Oakcliff – and the minority community – that is palatable. It permeates everything.I wanted to come here, to express my frustration, and honestly, my desire that the President-elect will look at us as Americans. As not Mexicans that are coming across the border, and are not rapists or anything like that. Or Muslims that have to be put on a list. Or any other religious minority that needs to be put on a list.”
Alonso Reese, 68 years old: “I’m originally from Birmingham, Alabama. And based on the rhetoric that has happened on the election, in terms of hate and division, it sort of puts me back in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963.
“And I have this feeling of insecurity. Insecurity in that I’m afraid. I’m scared. I’m scared that a man that has campaigned for the highest office in this planet had used his campaign to divide this country.”
Patrick Connery also showed up on Friday night, but the 23-year-old had little sympathy for the protestors. He says he prepared to go to the rally after he saw on Snapchat that there was going to be an anti-Trump protest.
“I went to get a bunch of signs and bought some sharpies. And I wrote down on my sign ‘You’re all crybabies’ and my next sign said ‘Get over it,’ because Trump is still going to be elected in office come January. So there’s nothing you can do. If you wanted to do something, you should have gone out and voted.”
Dallas isn’t the only city in Texas to see protests over the last week. On Sunday an estimated 1,500 people rallied in Austin to protest Trump’s plans to deport millions of immigrants.
Last week, Arlington voters overwhelmingly approved funding for a new, state-of-the-art stadium for the Texas Rangers.
The city’s mayor Jeff Williams told WFAA’s Inside Texas Politics when the facility is slated to open: “The Rangers are planning ahead to try to be open with the new ballpark in the season of 2020.”
That’s one year earlier than the planned deadline of 2021.
