Leading Off (5/6/21)
Welcome back to Thursday.
Robert Jeffress Invites You To Get Jabbed. With demand falling, Dallas County is trying new ways to convince people who have been hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine that it’s OK to get the shot. That includes reaching out to younger folks health officials are partnering with Deep Ellum bars and Christian evangelicals, which is why the senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas is opening up his church for a vaccination clinic on May 16.
Hot Takes Abound on Short-Term Rentals. Almost 100 people spoke at a public hearing on whether Dallas needs regulations for rental properties booked through services like Airbnb and Vrbo. Everything from an outright ban on the short-term rentals to a more robust licensing system is on the table.
Man stalked high-profile lawyer Messina Madson in 2018, jury decides
Neil Noble sent more than 50 emails to Madson and showed up uninvited to her workplace and home.
2:03 PM on May 5, 2021 CDT
A man was convicted of stalking high-profile lawyer Messina Madson this week in Dallas County’s first in-person jury trial since the COVID-19 pandemic forced court proceedings online.
Jurors found Neil Noble, 53, guilty of felony stalking Monday in Criminal District Court No. 4. Lawyers agreed on Noble’s sentence to four years on probation. Terms of his probation require Noble be evaluated for drug abuse and mental illness and to receive prescribed treatment.