Did You Miss It? McKinney Recall, DFW Foot-Washing Reversal And Don Nelson’s Legacy

Vehicles travel on a freeway near downtown Dallas with the city skyline in the background — Traffic moves along a major freeway near downtown Dallas | Image by Cavan-Images/Shutterstock

A week after The Dallas Express tracked McKinney’s mosque vote and its aftermath, the city’s political fight moved to a recall campaign. The sworn filing cited only a loss of public confidence, and organizers said their concerns reach beyond any single City Council decision. Former Mayor George Fuller then warned that petition signers’ names and addresses could become publicly available, prompting the recall committee to characterize his post as political intimidation.

At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, a proposed Islamic foot-washing project moved from a $300,000 filing and unanswered funding questions to a revised cost, an airport explanation and cancellation amid state and federal scrutiny.

The week also brought an active DFW rideshare investigation, a lawsuit over Dallas City Hall, school-accountability developments, new foreign-worker data and additional company commitments under Texas’ data-center standards. In sports, Dallas mourned Don Nelson, Mavericks icons explained his influence and The Dallas Express Sports Network went one-on-one with Cowboys linebacker Sam Williams.

Here are the stories and updates that helped shape the week.

McKinney recall and local accountability

Why It Matters: Five McKinney voters initiated a recall effort against Mayor Bill Cox and three council members, citing a loss of public confidence rather than one specific council decision. The committee said it must collect 5,805 valid signatures by September 26. Fuller warned that petition records could expose signers’ names and addresses, while organizers said public access to the records did not justify political intimidation. In Dallas, a preservation coalition asked a court to compel City Hall inspections and repairs, while residents learned that a proposed $960 million bond package carried an estimated $1.75 billion total repayment under current assumptions. Together, the stories centered on how residents challenge local power and how local governments account for long-term costs.

DFW Airport, religious accommodations and oversight

Why It Matters: DFW’s proposed Terminal D ablution stations moved through three public versions in rapid succession. A state filing first listed a $300,000 privately funded project without naming the payer. It later showed a $115,000 cost and a public-funds or public-land classification, while DFW blamed administrative errors by an outside design firm and said airport revenue would have covered an expected cost closer to $120,000. DFW then canceled the project after an accelerated review as Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) ordered grant scrutiny and a federal referral. Separately, airport police confirmed an active investigation into alleged rideshare fraud documented by DX, although the devices, obscured plates and allegations did not establish that any specific driver committed fraud.

Schools, educators and public trust

Why It Matters: Plano ISD trustees unanimously began the termination and nonrenewal process for Brinker Elementary Principal Jennifer King after a civil lawsuit alleged that she failed to report an earlier warning involving a now-charged former teacher. The district has not disclosed its grounds, King has not been criminally charged and the lawsuit’s allegations remain unproven. In Fort Worth, an account DX tied to a middle-school teacher drew scrutiny for political posts and a call to resist a Bible-related lesson, but DX could not establish which lesson the post referenced. Preliminary state ratings provided a broader measure of school performance, with Dallas ISD moving to a B and Fort Worth ISD remaining at C pending the appeals process.

Immigration, workforce and Texas growth

Why It Matters: The State Department said a new task force revoked more than 600 visas during its first month of enforcement against suspected birth-tourism schemes, an action focused on visa access and entry rather than changing birthright citizenship. Labor Department data showed software developers represented 29.1% of 830,710 positions covered by certified labor-condition applications across the H-1B, H-1B1 and E-3 programs, but those certifications do not equal visas issued or workers hired. Texas also added six companies to Abbott’s data-center framework, which seeks to make operators cover infrastructure costs, address water use and disclose public incentives as the state pursues artificial-intelligence investment.

DXSN, Mavericks and sports culture

Why It Matters: Former Mavericks coach Don Nelson died at 86 after a Hall of Fame career that included four consecutive 50-win seasons in Dallas and a lasting influence on Dirk Nowitzki. DX followed the obituary with tributes from Nowitzki, Luka Dončić, Jason Kidd and Michael Finley, showing how Nelson’s influence crossed Mavericks generations. The Dallas Express Sports Network also brought readers inside Cowboys training camp as Sam Williams described brotherhood as the foundation of a rebuilt defense. The WNBA’s August 12 eligibility discussion produced no new rule, even though its collective bargaining agreement limits play to women without defining the term.

That was the week. If you missed it, now you are caught up.

Provided by Dallas Express