Robert Jeffress Invites You To Get Jabbed. With demand falling, Dallas County is trying new ways to convince people who have been hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine that it’s OK to get the shot. That includes reaching out to younger folks—health officials are partnering with Deep Ellum bars—and Christian evangelicals, which is why the senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas is opening up his church for a vaccination clinic on May 16.
Hot Takes Abound on Short-Term Rentals. Almost 100 people spoke at a public hearing on whether Dallas needs regulations for rental properties booked through services like Airbnb and Vrbo. Everything from an outright ban on the short-term rentals to a more robust licensing system is on the table.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Continues to Lead a Complicated Life. Paxton was already under indictment for securities fraud. He’s being investigated by the FBI over corruption claims. He’s fighting a whistleblower lawsuit filed by four former employees. Now you can add another, separate “securities fraud debacle” to the list of things keeping him busy when he’s not fighting the release of texts he sent while attending the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Dallas County’s First In-Person Trial Since Start of Pandemic Ends in Conviction. A jury found Neil Noble, 53, guilty of stalking Messina Madson, a high-profile lawyer who essentially ran the district attorney’s office during the absences of former District Attorney Susan Hawk in 2015. Noble was sentenced to four years of probation in the first jury trial held offline here since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
