Hey North Texans,

Dallas middle schooler Avishka Dudala just earned a spot in The Scripps National Spelling Bee after spelling “resveratrol” correctly. I’m not even sure I can pronounce that word, much less spell it. 😅 She and three other North Texas students (find out more about them here and here) will head to Washington, DC, in May to compete against the nation’s top spellers. (Fun fact: The 2025 champion was also from Dallas.) 

If you were in a spelling bee, what word would take you out? Reply to this email and let me know. 

Women Breaking Ground, a female-led group, announced plans to construct a new mixed-use development in South Dallas. (Ben Iwara/Unsplash+)

By Sam Cohen

It was announced that the Women Breaking Ground development coalition would be spearheading a new $130 million project in South Dallas called the Airborne at University Hills. The group is led by a team of Black women developers who will be constructing a 33-room hotel, retail space, and 240 housing units on the 11.4 acres of land located close to the University of North Texas at Dallas. The boutique accommodations, known as The Valor Hotel, will include units reserved especially for veterans and their families, seniors, and local students.

The development’s focus on veterans, and its name, were drawn from co-developer Valerie Ballard’s own upbringing. Her father, Jesse Staten, served in the Vietnam War with the Airborne unit.

🍅 Food labor crunch: North Texas restaurant owners and farmers say immigration crackdowns are worsening worker shortages, driving up food prices and putting some businesses at risk of closing. (Fox 4)

🏎️ Fast cars hit Arlington: Get the deets on the first-ever IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington as it takes over this weekend with a street race around AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, and more. (WFAA)

💸 Mo’ money in Dallas: The new Forbes billionaire ranking is out, and the Dallas area is once again very well represented in the “money is no object” category. (CultureMap)

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Joi Louviere with reporting by Sam Cohen and editing by Paula Solis.

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