Editorials

This is the Dallas County district attorney’s office Porsche Boxster after it was left for months on top of the courthouse parking garage. It was eventually towed and sold at auction before the DA’s office bought it back with forfeiture funds.

Editorial: Towed Porsche reinforces DA Watkins’ loss of trust

Forfeiture funds are supposedly reserved for law enforcement purposes. In District Attorney Craig Watkins’ reasoning, this includes buying back a legally towed drug car.

A. Starke Taylor Jr., former mayor of Dallas

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Editorial: Starke Taylor modernized Dallas’ businessman-mayor tradition

He came from the business mold, all right, but he put his own spin on Dallas’ history.

Attorney Steven Hyman visited nurse Kaci Hickox at an isolation tent at University Hospital in Newark, N.J., where she was quarantined.

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Editorial: Don’t treat Ebola-fighting heroes as criminals

Draconian state measures in response to Ebola must not include mandatory quarantine of volunteers returning from Africa.

The district’s auditor says The Collins Co. had an inside path with former DISD trustee Ron Price, who was on the board at the time.

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Editorial: Dallas ISD real estate deal saps confidence

A former trustee’s influence appears to have cost taxpayers and benefited a favored firm.

Joe Colucci, who has been through a batterer prevention program, says, “Men can certainly change. Is it common? I don’t think so. Is it possible? Absolutely.”

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Editorial: The benefits of fighting abuse with education vs. jail time

Anti-battering classes can play a key role in our abuse crisis, working hand in hand with the justice system.

Another I.M. Pei structure here is Dallas City Hall, built in 1978 in the "brutalist" style pioneered by Le Corbusier. Its futuristic, forward-facing facade earned it a role in the original 1987 "Robo-Cop" film.

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Editorial: Beware of wading too far into bid process, Dallas City Council

When it comes to politics mixing with contracts, council members should be cautious and clear.

Jefferson Boulevard in Oak Cliff is a good example of an area of southern Dallas embraced by many types of entrepreneurs.

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Editorial: Getting capital into underserved parts of Dallas

A Thursday night forum will seek solutions to end our economic imbalance and to help entrepreneurs succeed.

University of Texas athletic director Steve Patterson (right), with university president Bill Powers and football coach Charlie Strong, stirred the Internet last week with comments about what it might cost UT to pay scholarship athletes in the future.

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Editorial: Inching closer to paying college players

We now have a vision for what that might look like at UT — and how it might change the rest of the NCAA.

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Hits and Misses

Our tally of the week’s highs and lows, from Nina Pham’s ebola-free diagnosis and a birthday honor for Klyde Warren Park to Breaking Bad action figures at the toy store.

A sign at a gasoline station in Richardson this week shows how prices have dropped below $3 in recent weeks.

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Editorial: Texas lawmakers need not fear a fuel tax

Bold steps are needed to bridge the state’s road-funding gap, even Prop 1 passes.

A Royal Canadian Mounted Police intervention team responds to a reported shooting at Parliament building in Ottawa Wednesday Oct. 22, 2014. A soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial has been shot by an unknown gunman and there have been reports of gunfire inside the halls of Parliament. Emergency responders are still on the scene as paramedics performed CPR on the soldier before he was taken away by ambulance. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld)

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Editorial: The jihadist war at our doorstep

North American Muslims must help fight radicalism as the Islamic State urges stepped-up attacks on Canada and the U.S.

Ben Bradlee, the former top editor of The Washington Post who oversaw the paper's coverage of the Watergate scandal, has died, the newspaper said Tuesday. He was 93.

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Editorial: Remembering Ben Bradlee

The former Washington Post executive editor guided Watergate coverage and inspired a new era of investigative reporting.

Dozens of payday loan businesses, including this one, have closed since Dallas passed an ordinance regulating such lenders.

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Editorial: Ending the payday lending cycle

A new alternative to payday lenders is coming to Dallas and needs your support.

In this July 28, 2014, photo, Jakob Denzinger looks from his apartment window in Osijek, eastern Croatia. Denzinger is among dozens of death camp guards and suspected Nazi war criminals who collected millions of dollars in Social Security payments despite being forced out of the U.S.

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Editorial: Shameful Social Security benefits for expelled Nazis

Congress should end the stomach-churning loophole that allows suspected war criminals to collect U.S. retirement benefits.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker speaks at the Texas Democratic Convention in Dallas, Saturday, June 28, 2014.

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Editorial: Houston went too far in sermon subpoenas

The city was right to dial back its requests, but officials still seem to be missing the point.

Voters waited in line at a polling place inside a shopping mall on Election Day in Austin.

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Editorial: In voter ID ruling, justices side with more obstacles at the polls

Reinstating our tried-and-true voting system would not have led to intolerable confusion, as the Supreme Court argued.

Mayor Mike Rawlings discussed the incubation of the Ebola virus and potential for infections during a news conference Monday.

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Editorial: 51 fewer reasons to fear Ebola

With dozens of names removed from the Ebola watch list, it’s time for Dallas to transition from fear to compassion.

Backers of the rail project include the Japanese rail company that makes an integrated bullet-train system that’s operated for 50 years without a fatality. The company has a strong motivation to get a U.S. foothold for its latest technology, the Shinkansen N700-I.

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Editorial: Ready to get a look at bullet-train details

Possible routes for the planned Dallas-Houston service will get their first airing at a series of meetings starting Tuesday.

Protesters ran through broken glass after an attack of the attorney general's office during a demonstration in Mexico City over the disappearance of 43 students.

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Editorial: Disappearance of 43 student teachers in Mexico couldn’t come at a worse time

A mass kidnapping in Mexico is shaking U.S. confidence at a time when pressures are growing to address border issues.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital staff showed their support as nurse Nina Pham departed Thursday for a Maryland Hospital.

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Editorial: We need Presby staffers to be heroes one more time to stop Ebola

Strictly adhering to the self-quarantine is absolutely necessary to break the Ebola cycle in Dallas.

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Editorial: Hits and Misses

Our tally of the week’s highs and lows, from revival in the Cedars to ageism on Facebook.

Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles gave the State of the District address at the Belo Mansion & Pavilion in September.

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Editorial: Overall, Miles gets B- in latest Dallas Morning News scorecard

The DISD superintendent sets the right path, but tone and polish are still needed.

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Who's the candidate for you?

After inviting candidates in for an interview, the Dallas Morning News editorial board makes the following recommendations.

Republican candidate for governor, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott

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Editorial: We recommend Greg Abbott for Texas governor

He and Wendy Davis both uphold Texas’ fighting spirit. But Abbott is more capable of sustaining the state’s economic success and holding in check growing GOP extremism.

Democrat Craig Watkins was even more dependent on straight-ticket voting in his 2010 re-election campaign. Dallas County voters should split their tickets Nov. 4 and choose Republican Susan Hawk to replace him.

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Editorial: We recommend Susan Hawk for Dallas County district attorney

The promise of Craig Watkins’ early years has devolved into a public loss of trust. Susan Hawk, a former prosecutor and judge, is just the person to restore confidence in the office.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, right, with Dallas City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates, at The Ivy Apartment complex as workers were in the process of cleaning the apartment stayed in by Thomas Duncan.

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Editorial: We recommend Clay Jenkins for Dallas County judge

The incumbent has displayed political courage and leadership during a challenging first term.

Lieutenant governor candidate Leticia van de Putte answered questions at a Q&A session after a debate with Dan Patrick last month.

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Editorial: We recommend Leticia Van de Putte for lieutenant governor

The San Antonio Democrat has been a steady legislative hand for two decades and has shown she has sound, moderate ideas for governing.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas still needs to provide critical information, beginning with what transpired the first time Thomas Eric Duncan visited its ER Sept. 26.

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Editorial: After third Dallas Ebola case, what Presbyterian Hospital can teach the rest of the world

By being transparent about its missteps, it can help the rest of the medical community learn from its experiences.

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Editorial: We recommend John Cornyn for U.S. Senate

Texans should sustain Cornyn’s conservative but flexible leadership in Washington to counterbalance partisan extremism.

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Editorial: We recommend a ‘yes’ vote on 9 Dallas propositions

The most important two, Props 6 and 8, would improve city redistricting to reduce horse trading and raise council pay to encourage better candidates.

Passengers wait outside Gate 14 at Dallas Love Field Airport.

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Editorial: A (not so fond) farewell to the Wright amendment

Thank goodness this day has finally arrived.

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Editorial: We recommend Kenny Marchant in the 24th Congressional District

The five-term Republican is a behind-the-scenes leader who gets important work done quietly and effectively.

Bridesmaids begin the processional at the wedding of Lincoln Stephens and Baranda Fermin on Park Row in South Dallas Sept. 27.

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Editorial: Spotlighting the good life of southern Dallas

Two recent DMN articles point to the faith of residents in their neighborhoods’ futures.

Gay couples Cleopatra De Leon and Nicole Dimetman (left) and Mark Phariss and Victor Holmes spoke to reporters in February in San Antonio after U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia declared Texas’ same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional.

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Editorial: Supreme Court’s inaction on gay marriage delays equality for Texans

The nation’s highest court had a chance with a single, definitive ruling to bring consistency and legal clarity to a mishmash of state laws. Instead, it abdicated its responsibility.

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Editorial: Hits and Misses

Car seat vs. ticket, voter ID vs. judge, Vonciel vs. demolition, pension board vs. same-sex benefits.

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Editorial: Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan didn’t die in vain

Dallas’ response wasn’t textbook-perfect, but an honest acknowledgment of what we got right and wrong could save lives.

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Editorial: We recommend Royce West, state Senate, Dist. 23

Sen. West has amassed two decades of legislative experience and record of action, in sharp contrast to his challenger.

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Editorial: We recommend Cindy Burkett in Texas House District 113

The two-term Sunnyvale Republican brings a common-sense approach and a desire to keep learning in Austin.

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Editorial: We recommend Paul Stafford for Texas House District 115

Irving attorney wants to strengthen the state’s economic backbone of roads, water systems and schools.

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Editorial: Stop arresting low-level pot suspects? Why Dallas police's experiment is smart

It’s good to see the city be a major player in this growing “smart on crime” trend.

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Editorial: We recommend Sam Houston for Texas attorney general

The Houston lawyer is a solid option, in light of opponent Ken Paxton’s potential legal troubles.

The partially fenced $4.5 million expanse of dirt called Patriots Crossing now serves no other purpose than as a makeshift parking lot for the VA Medical Center, visible in the background.

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Editorial: 10 Drops in the Bucket

Our monthly list of southern Dallas neighborhood detractors examines the $4.5 million debacle dubbed Patriots Crossing.

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Editorial: The shared right and responsibility of declaring war

Congress and President Obama should insist on a legislative war-powers vote as the Islamic State fight moves forward.

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Editorial: Comer Cottrell’s business smarts paved the way for African-Americans in Dallas

For years, he was the city’s most powerful black businessman, and Pro-Line was the largest black-owned business in the Southwest.

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Editorial: We recommend Mike Collier for state comptroller

The Houston CPA would bring an outsider’s zeal to an office in need of fiscal rigor.

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Editorial: We recommend George P. Bush for land commissioner

A member of one of the Republican Party’s and the state’s great political dynasties, he is most likely to have influence in Austin.

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Editorial: We recommend Sid Miller for agriculture commissioner

Despite a sandpaper personality and some troubling missteps on the campaign trail, he is the most qualified candidate.

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Editorial: We recommend Ryan Sitton for the Texas Railroad Commission

Ryan Sitton’s technical and business expertise would benefit the commission’s deliberations.

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Editorial: You have until Monday to register to vote in the November elections

Here’s how you can do it with a computer, a printer and a stamp.

The U.S. could help strengthen ties with its North American neighbors by increasing its pipeline capacity, including approval of the Keystone XL from Canada to Texas, which remains stalled in Obama administration review.

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Editorial: Making U.S., Mexico and Canada the world’s most dynamic region

A Council on Foreign Relations report says the three North American neighbors would benefit from pooling resources for growth, particularly in the energy sector.