🌱 Crane Victim's Family Awarded $860M + Affordable Housing Approved

Hello, everybody. It's me, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Dallas Patch newsletter — here to impart all the most important things happening in town these days.

But first, today's weather:

A severe afternoon t-storm. High: 78 Low: 53.

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Here are the top 3 stories in Dallas today:

1. The family of Kiersten Smith, the victim of 2019's crane collapse at the Elan City Lights apartments, was awarded more than $860M in damages by a Dallas County jury on Wednesday. The developer, Greystar, and Bigge Crane and Rigging, the company that leased the crane and operator, both agreed that the collapse was due to operator error, however, blamed each other for the operator and equipment. The jury ultimately found Greystar guilty of negligence. Smith's family said through their lead attorney that they hope the trial serves as a reminder to companies in regard to following safety procedures. (NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)
2. On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council voted to approve an ordinance that will clearly spell out its stance condemning prejudice against Jewish people by adopting an internationally recognized definition of antisemitism. The definition will be incorporated into city employee discrimination and anti-bias training. "This resolution allows us to stand firm in our fight against hate and bigotry," said Councilmember Jaynie Schultz, who is Jewish. (Subscription: The Dallas Morning News)
3. City Council also approved a huge $177M project that will create 615 units of affordable housing roughly 15 minutes from downtown. The project will be built at 9999 West Technology Blvd. in two phases, with the first planned to start in October and be done in late 2025. Since the start of 2022, Dallas has now approved 14 apartment complex projects to be built through the Dallas Public Facility Corporation, a city nonprofit organization that can acquire, develop, and own property for public use, making the land tax-exempt. (Subscription: The Dallas Morning News)

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Today in Dallas:

• Dinosaur Jr. With Special Guest The Infamists At Longhorn Ballroom (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• This weekend, the Dallas area's first-ever non-alcoholic bottle shop, Beyond the Bar, will hold a pair of soft opening events at the store located at 101 S. Sherman St. in Richardson. This is a game-changer for those who don’t consume alcohol or those who just want a spirit-free night with offerings like unique artisan mixers, de-alcoholized wines, canned cocktails, spirits, and beer - all minus the buzz. (Dallas Observer)
• Also this weekend, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden's Artscape Festival! Over 100 juried fine art and craft artists from around the country fill Jonsson Color Garden selling paintings, sculptures, hats, jewelry, photography, woodwork, and more. (Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden)
• A new study by Bumper.com found that electric vehicle ‘charging deserts’ – places where charging stations and ports are in short supply – stretch across states, largely divided by economic and racial lines. On average in Texas, there are 2.43 charge ports per 10,000 people. Learn more about EV charging rates in Texas and nationwide at the link. (Bumper.com)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with a new update!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.