🌱 Off Street Parking Rules Debate + Landlord Charged With Murder

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

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and hot. High: 108 Low: 80.

Here are the top three stories in Dallas today:

1. Dallas City Council Members have urged for action on updating the outdated 1965 off-street parking rules after years of discussions at lower levels of city government. The Dallas Zoning Ordinance Advisory Commission has extensively deliberated on the topic, prompting council members to seek progress on the issue. The need for revised rules stems from disparities in parking availability across different areas of the city, with some facing an excess of parking and others a shortage, such as Gramercy Oaks Drive in Far North Dallas and City Council Member Cara Mendelsohn's District 12. (NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)
2. Police in nearby Garland believe that a murder victim, Arturo Peña, was targeted in a robbery scheme orchestrated by a 17-year-old girl named Natalie Navarro and her accomplice. While Navarro is in custody in South Texas, the other suspect, Yordy Martinez, remains on the run. Peña's family hired a private investigator to look into the murder, and an arrest affidavit suggests robbery as the motive for the crime, leaving Peña's loved ones concerned about the killer still at large. (FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth)
3. A Dallas landlord, 45-year-old Damien Walker, was arrested and charged with murder after fatally shooting his former tenant, Absolom Cobbs, 51, inside a South Dallas home. Walker claimed he went to the residence to ask Cobbs to leave, believing he was involved in drug-related activities. Despite calling 911 on himself, Walker admitted to shooting Cobbs multiple times, alleging that Cobbs had grabbed him, though he didn't see Cobbs with a weapon. (FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth)

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Today in Dallas:

Friday, September 8

• Comedy Show And Dinner At Calm And The City (8:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Dallas Zoo invites visitors to explore the Giants of the Savanna, feed giraffes, and meet the new elephant baby "Okubili" at Family First Day on Saturday, Sep. 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can grab discounted tickets here. (WFAA.com)
• Hillside Village, the shopping center in east Dallas/Lakewood, is adding new businesses to its lineup, including JuiceLand, a raw, cold-pressed juice and superfood smoothie shop, and Sephora, a multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products. Click the link for opening dates. (CultureMap Dallas)
• In case you missed it: The Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License Offices closed statewide on Wednesday due to a systemwide problem related to an ongoing upgrade. (NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)

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Featured events:

• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Get Free Stuff And Great Perks Every Week (September 12)
• Breast Ultrasound Screening is Coming Direct to You! (September 13)
• Taxes in Retirement Seminar at University Park Public Library (September 13)
• Zoom meeting regarding air duct cleaning in Dallas (September 15)
• Add your event

Thanks for following along and staying informed. See you all tomorrow morning for another 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.