Good morning,

How did you all fare this weekend? Did you experience an outage or any flooding?

I hope you all were safe and warm and got to enjoy at least the look of the beautiful ice and snow. If you have photos from your region, respond to this email with your view, and make sure to mention what city you’re in.

Joi Louviere

Senior Newsletter Editor, COURIER DFW

Dallas delays Mill Creek tunnel project, extends timeline to 2029

Dallas’ Mill Creek Tunnel project likely won’t be completed until 2029. (Luis Tamayo/CC BY-SA 2.0).

By Sam Cohen

Did you know there are tunnels being built under Downtown Dallas?

The Mill Creek Tunnel project has been in development since March 2018. It was designed to create a drainage tunnel stretching five miles long that would help reduce flooding between Fair Park in the south and the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Dallas by flowing out to the Trinity River. The 30-foot-tall tunnel (which is being constructed 100 feet below ground) was originally scheduled for completion sometime in 2024. Now, though, Assistant City Manager Dev Rastogi has announced that substantial work is projected to be done in 2028, but the project likely won’t be fully completed until 2029.

Learn more about the project

The Texas US Senate Race

State Rep. James Talarico, left, and US Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic primary candidates for US Senate, participate in a debate at the Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune via POOL)

The US Senate race is heating up in Texas, as voters finally got to see the Democratic candidates, US Rep. Jasmine Crockett and State Rep. James Talarico, go head-to-head on topics like AI, immigration, and tariffs.

Why you should be locked in:

🔵 Texas hasn’t elected a Democratic US senator in more than 35 years. This race is an attempt to make history, as no Democrat has been elected to the role since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. (Gov. Ann Richards appointed Democrat Bob Kruger to the seat for five months until he lost in a special election to Republican Kay Bailey Hutchinson.) The closest the party has gotten since then was the 2018 election, when Beto O’Rourke lost to Ted Cruz by 220,000 votes.

🔵 The position is important. US Senators represent their constituents at a national level, making sure the interests of Texans are not forgotten when legislation is proposed and debated on the Senate floor. They serve on varying committees to craft national legislation and heavily influence budgets, federal agencies, and global issues.

🔵 The Democratic candidates have vastly different styles and backgrounds, making it all the more interesting to see which one Texans trust most with the seat. It’s probably no surprise to you that Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico bring very different skill sets to the table.

Talarico: The 36-year-old former teacher is a subtle, yet discerning presence in Texas politics, leaning on his Christian values and knowledge to fight the Texas GOP, while still promoting religious freedom and progressive values.

Crockett: The 44-year-old attorney was plucked from a college theater program for her supreme speaking abilities and encouraged to study law. She’s been one of the most vocal Democrats in the country in her role in Congress, boldly going toe-to-toe with President Donald Trump and the entire MAGA cohort.

🔵 No matter who wins, both of these politicians are stars we will see again. The race has garnered national attention. People who have never set foot in Texas have an opinion on this race, because both candidates bring sharply contrasting energy to the state’s current landscape. If you are not well-versed on these candidates, now’s the time to do your research and be an active participant in, perhaps, another chapter of Texas history.

If you missed Saturday’s debate, you can watch the full hour here. You can also check out our clips below for a Sparknotes version.

Don’t Sleep On is a weekly series where I (usually) shout out DFW events and businesses I think you should try. Have a suggestion? Reply to this email.