Kelli Smith

🧵 Life news!: I’m leaving @dallasnews after 4.5 great years, but I’m not going far. I’m thrilled to announce I’m joining @SharonFGrigsby and @goodmoine at The Lab Report Dallas, an independent newsroom powered by the Child Poverty Action Lab. labreportdallas.org

Not long ago, Dallas' juvenile justice system reached a crisis point. Families were decrying inhumane conditions, and researchers ID’d kids who hadn’t needed to be jailed at all. County leaders say that’s begun to change—and a new report backs that up: labreportdallas.com/p/dallas-juven…

The foster care system is in big trouble in North Texas. A baby and an infant have died. A judge today appointed a receiver over the nonprofit handling case management. Before the ruling, @SharonFGrigsby had spent weeks in court watching things go wrong. labreportdallas.com/p/the-present-…

After DPD faced a spike in violence in 2020, priorities appeared to shift. Patrol staffing fell 12% from 2020-24, and response times shot up. The patrol bureau began to grow again in 2025—but some neighborhoods are benefiting more than others. More here: labreportdallas.com/p/dallas-patro…

For weeks I analyzed where Dallas PD allocates patrol officers and what that says about its priorities. It raised a complicated question: How do top cops manage staffing for perception vs. risk in a big city like Dallas? I tried to make sense of the data for @labreportdallas.

BREAKING: The Border Patrol's Greg Bovino has been ousted from his role of "Commander at Large"—and Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski could be next to lose their jobs, sources tell @NickMiroff

“As of Saturday evening, the family said they had still not heard from anyone at a federal law enforcement agency about their son’s death.” apnews.com/article/immigr…

A non-profit fed thousands of hungry Dallas ISD students. A CBS News Texas investigation found that when the work stopped, the fundraising didn't. cbsnews.com/texas/news/dal…

🚨 The Lab Report is looking for our fourth writer! Come join our small team writing in-depth stories about issues affecting Dallas families—from healthcare, housing, criminal justice, to transportation, and more. Happy to answer any questions. 👇 childpovertyactionlab.org/careers/staff-…

🚨 🌖This is my first — and last — story for @CBSNews Across the country hundreds of officers accused of crime are working lucrative off-duty jobs. Most police policies do nothing to stop them.

We noted this trend today in @labreportdallas's weekly story, which is a look-ahead to 2026. Other topics we're monitoring: DART, housing preservation, healthcare costs, and the county jail. ⤵️ labreportdallas.com/p/these-storie…

The stats are in, and they confirm a big trend: Dallas ended 2025 with 141 murders, a *10-year low.* To put that in perspective: 📉 43 fewer people murdered than in 2024. 📉 Dallas' 4th lowest murder count since 1995. A significant drop that has largely flown under the radar.

My colleague, @SharonFGrigsby, covered Halperin Park's development in the fall for @labreportdallas. Highly recommend giving this one a read to learn about why it's coming, how residents feel about it, and what to expect from the park. labreportdallas.com/p/oak-cliff-ha…

Dallas made No. 6 (!) on the @nytimes 52 places to go in 2026, with a note about the World Cup and the soon-to-be open Halperin Park. Plus a Fair Park shoutout. Pretty cool seeing as the NYT scans worldwide for this annual list.

🧵: At Roseland, an Old East Dallas public housing complex, gunfire had become routine. For years, a city–housing authority plan to curb the violence and improve conditions fell apart and was never fully followed, a @dallasnews investigation found. interactives.dallasnews.com/2025/dallas-ho…

Meet Angelica Zaragoza, the founder of Janie’s Angels—a Dallas nonprofit reborn when this acclaimed initiative nearly ended last year. labreportdallas.com/p/janies-angel…

This weekend I met a boy who saw his mother for the first time since he was 9 months old. A family praying for a mother’s release from prison. And a woman whose life was near collapse before she saw her daughter. For @labreportdallas, I featured the program changing their lives.

In 2024, Dallas' most violent apartment complex became a tale of success after police appeared to lead a dramatic turnaround. Then, this year, violence began rising again. For @labreportdallas, I looked into what Volara's volatility tells us. labreportdallas.com/p/the-stubborn…

It's official: A Starbucks will be the next-door neighbor of the restored Forest Theater in South Dallas. My latest story for The Lab Report looks at why Forest Forward decided this was the right call for the project—and its neighbors. labreportdallas.com/p/why-starbuck…

Two Dallas City Council committees will hold a joint meeting Thursday morning to discuss a proposal that would authorize city police officers to help enforce federal immigration laws. @dallasnews dallasnews.com/news/public-sa…

Texas is notifying its 1.7 million Lone Star Card holders that there will be no November SNAP benefits issued if the federal government shutdown continues past Oct. 27. That’s more than $600 million that was due to go out next month to help low-income Texans buy food.