An Afghan Interpreter Who Calls Dallas Home Welcomes Refugees

Good morning, Dallas! It's Aug. 26.

Your Headlines: He worked his way up to "badass" as an interpreter for Americans during the war in Afghanistan. Now he's a Dallasite, welcoming refugees to North Texas.

What's missing from the Dallas Police Department records? Well, the city's police chief says "most likely," it's not data related to violent crime.

Finally, just as Gov. Greg Abbott's mask mandate ban fell in court, he has issued a new ban to prevent requiring vaccinations — even the one approved two days ago by the FDA.

Now today's weather: Humid throughout the day. High: 96, low: 76.

Here are the top stories in Dallas today:

1. Dallas’ homeless camps have increased by 30 percent during the pandemic. (The Dallas Morning News)
2. Single family homes in Dallas are seeing soaring rents, according to CoreLogic. (Dallas Business Journal)
3. Police are hunting a pair of thieves wanted for stealing local lumber and pipes from a construction site. (CBS Dallas / Fort Worth)
4. A Dallas police chase involving teen carjacking ended in a crash — and the death of an innocent driver. (FOX 4 Dallas)
5. These are the best public high schools in North Texas. (Dallas Business Journal)

Send flowers today to someone you care about. Our partners at FTD are making that easier by offering Dallas Daily readers a 15 percent discount on orders through this link: Click here to make someone feel awesome.

Today in Dallas

• Football (JV) @ Richland High School (JVO @ 5 & JVB @ 6:30). (Noon)
• Choir Pancake Breakfast - Keller Middle School. (7:20 a.m.)
• Ambassador Breakfast: Outlaws BBQ - Grand Prairie Chamber of Commerce. (8 a.m.)
• COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Garland High School. (8 a.m.)
• Volleyball V: Lady Jackets at Godley Tournament Time TBA. (8 a.m.)
• NHS Meeting / Mrs. Trang - Grapevine High School. (8 a.m.)

Dallas Patch Notebook

• Dallas Mavericks: "Sending you endless @boban heart arms to get you through day."(Instagram)
• Dallas Cowboys: "Final week of #CowboysCamp! Let's get it!" (Instagram)
• Dallas Police Department: "Anyone with information regarding this offense is encouraged to contact Non-Fatal Shooting Detective Cooksey #10438, via phone at 214-471-4734 or via email landon.cooksey@dallascityhall.com. Please reference case number 152534-2021." (Facebook)
• DallasCAC: "Know that hope and healing can occur at any time of your life and that there are resources to support your recovery process. The best thing you can do for your own children is to heal your wounds. Visit dcac.org/survivors." (Instagram)
• Behind Every Door: " 'The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take that away from you' - B.B. King⁠." (Instagram)

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• Free Family Mini Photo Sessions! (September 5)
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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with another update! If you're liking these newsletters, consider bringing some friends and neighbors along for the ride. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Kevin Phinney

About me: Kevin Phinney has lived and worked as a writer and editor in Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle and New York City. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and was raised in El Paso. Phinney attended college in Austin. He has done television work as a reporter and commentator, and is a former host of a weekday drive-time radio show called "Kevin & Kevin in the Morning" on KGSR-FM (now known as Austin City Limits Radio). He is also the author of "Souled American, " a book tracking race relations in America through music. It was published by BILLBOARD Books, and is often used in college classrooms across the country.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Dallas Daily? Email me at kevin.phinney@patch.com.