Dead bodies at White Rock Lake. Local connections to popular TV shows. Changes in radio programs.
The articles East Dallas neighbors read the most this year covered a variety of topics. Here’s a look back at 10 stand-out stories.
Neighborhood ties to the Candy case
Robert Udashen. Photo courtesy of University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Special Collections
In May, we wrote about the Hulu series Candy, which told the story of Candy Montgomery, who admitted to killing her friend and fellow church member Getty Gore with an axe.
Dallas law firm Mattox and Crowder represented Montgomery, and Robert Udashen was a junior member of the firm and was involved in the case. Udashen, whom we profiled in September, had an office in our neighborhood for 20 years.
In July, nurse Roxane Reza went missing. Her friends went on social media to let people know that Reza’s last known location was on the SoPac Trail between markers 124 and 125, and that they were searching around White Rock Lake. Police were looking too.
The last anyone heard from Reza was Thursday, and by Saturday, we had an update that she had returned home.
Fishermen find a body in White Rock LakeÂ
White Rock Lake on March 5, 2022. Photo by Renee Umsted.
Drew Harman and Jackson Marburger, co-founders of the Lake Highlands High School Fishing Club, were setting up for the White Rock Fishing Derby one morning in May, when they saw something at the edge of the water near the dog park.
Rather, they saw someone. During their earliest investigations, police told Harman and Marburger that the man had been in the water for several days.
Remembering the White Rock Lake riotÂ
In March, we reminded neighbors of the riot that occurred at White Rock Lake in 1977. Police officers arrived at the park to break up fights that had erupted among parkgoers. By the end of it, at least one officer had fired a shotgun into the air. There were police helicopters in the area. Nearly 50 people were arrested, and at least three were hospitalized.
Danny Balis.
In May, East Dallas resident Danny Balis announced he was leaving The Ticket. He had been producer of the afternoon show The Hardline since August 1999.
Balis has since returned to radio with Mike Rhyner, Michael Gruber and Mike Sirois on The Freak’s show The Downbeat.
Two bodies pulled from White Rock Lake over two weeks
This was separate from the May incident mentioned earlier in this post.
In March, we reported that a female body was found in the lake March 25. At the time, the person had not been identified, and the cause of death was unknown.
Another person, a male, was found near Garland Road on April 7. That person had been identified, but the name was not released.
Antonio Lechuga shot on Santa Fe TrailÂ
Artist Antonio “Tony” Lechuga was shot and critically injured while jogging on the Santa Fe Trail in July. He was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery.
Two people were arrested in August in connection to the shooting.
Medallion Center. Photo by Renee Umsted.
The shopping center has been undergoing renovations this year. Along with new tenants, the shopping center will have a raised facade, improved signs and new lighting.
In our last update, we reported that the work is expected to be completed by February 2023.
Local restaurant named best place to get a burritoÂ
La Victoria, which is owned by an alumnus of Woodrow Wilson High School, is the best place in Texas to get a burrito, according to Yelp.
The restaurant is located on N. Haskell Avenue between Ross Avenue and San Jacinto Street.
Rezone proposed for Shoreline City Church siteÂ
Shoreline City Church. Photo by Sam Gillespie.
This story, published in late March, was the beginning of a saga.
Developer Ojala Holdings wanted to rezone the site to planned development district to build apartments on the 7.3 acre church site on Garland Road.
Half of the apartments will be available for residents earning 60%-80% of the area median income, and the other half will be leased at market rate.
After many neighborhood meetings, the rezone request received unanimous support from the City Plan Commission and the Dallas City Council.
