I report on crime, health and community at The Dallas Morning News. I also work on Curious Texas, an engagement project that answers readers’ questions about Texas. Before becoming a reporter, I was an audience producer at The News, and before that, I was an entertainment intern.
Below are some of my favorite stories I’ve worked on.
Bonton residents say the South Dallas neighborhood could survive a pandemic. Its urban farm may not
Daron Babcock digs his hand deep into the carrot leaves, grabbing the base of the stems before pulling out a bright orange 8-inch root with a split down the length of it. He’ll save that one to feed the goats.
The winter harvest has wrapped up at Bonton Farms, and soon the South Dallas urban farm will grow summer produce in an impoverished neighborhood that brushes against a Trinity River levee and is the namesake for Babcock’s 6-year-old effort.
More than two months into the coronavirus crisis and after many business adjustments, Babcock has realized that Bonton Farms may have just a few more months of life left in it.
Family grapples with slayings of 2 brothers as Dallas deals with increased crime, soars past 200 homicides
Just after 6 a.m. on Oct. 7, Demico King was shot in southeast Dallas. Then, his older brother Nico was gunned down 12 hours later less than 2 miles away.
Nico died that day at the hospital. He was 30. Demico, 29, succumbed to his injuries a week later.
…
Demico and Nico King were two of the 32 victims of homicide in Dallas in October — the most of any month in 2020, according to data compiled by The Dallas Morning News. The family called the brothers and their older brother Rico “the three amigos.”
North Texas Food Bank, local pantries prepare to lose millions of pounds of food in 2021
The North Texas Food Bank and its more than 200 partners are expecting to lose about 22 million pounds of food next year as they struggle to meet unprecedented needs without resources from three key government programs.
Concerns about the reductions come as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are reaching their highest levels ever and other relief programs are running out, including a national eviction moratorium that is expiring at the end of the year.
What happened to Native American tribes that once existed in North Texas? Curious Texas investigates
Recently, a reader asked Curious Texas: “What happened to the Native Americans that resided in the North Texas area? When were they pushed out, and how come there aren’t any reservations in North Texas?”
…
To understand why no tribes are in this area, Curious Texas took a step back to research the history of Native Americans in Texas.
As likes, shares and selfies change how we interact with art, museums and galleries are adapting
Social media, while a tried-and-true method of sharing artsy and adventurous experiences, is changing the way consumers interact with art, whether it be traditional, or bold and unusual pieces. Patrons walk through museums, galleries and increasingly trendy pop-ups observing the art — and keeping one hand on their phones, ready to take pictures. This change is a signifier that the art world is readjusting its focus from creating art to pleasing the audience, and social media is the driving force.
Inside a nearly abandoned Plano mall, this antique store is thriving
Hill manages Plano Antique Mall, a 20,000-square-foot shop that rents booths to an estimated 130 vendors. The store’s been operating since 1995, and it’s filled with sports memorabilia, cups and saucers, paintings, jewelry and more. It sits inside of Plano Market Square Mall, a building at K Avenue and Spring Creek Road.
But out of over 15 storefronts and kiosks inside Plano Market Square Mall, Plano Antique Mall remains the only operating business. Stroll through the building and you’ll see floor-to-ceiling windows of empty stores and hear the unsettling buzz of fluorescent lights.
nataly keomoungkhoun 