White Rock Lake Trail. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)
It was yet another interesting year, to say the least. There were tragedies, closings and new beginnings.
Of course, we couldn’t forget the beloved eagles, Nick and Nora.
Through it all, these were the 10 stories our readers were drawn to in 2022. Let’s take a look back.
Roxane Reza, a Dallas nurse, was reported missing in July after going for a run on the SoPac Trail. Her friends spread the word on social media where her last location was and let neighbors know they were searching around White rock Lake.
Police also joined the search efforts, which began that Thursday. By Saturday, Reza returned home alive and safe.
In March, a child was shot in the head in what was reported as a road rage incident, which began in Richardson and ended in Lake Highlands.
Dallas police officers were called to the Medical City Hospital emergency room, where the boy was pronounced dead.
In June, two young children aged 3 years old and 8 months, were found in a Vickery Meadow apartment with their dead parents. Police responded to a shooting call at 2 a.m. Monday and believed no one was inside when they knocked.
Police returned Wednesday and found the bodies of the children’s parents, Jimena Iliannid Nunez Sandoval, 24, and David Deshawn Stewart, 27. The children were reported unharmed.
A coyote approaches White Rock Trail from Clearhurst, one block over from Tuesday’s attack.
On May 5, a 2-year-old boy was in the hospital after being attacked by a coyote on his front porch in White Rock Valley. The attack left severe lacerations on his face.
The coyote was later found and shot and killed by Texas Wildlife Services specialists.
Bald eagle at White Rock Lake: Photo by Robert Bunch (2014)
This is our first, and probably only, feel-good story on this list. Neighbors were closely following the tales of eagles Nick and Nora as they built and rebuilt their nest.
Dallas Academy set up a livestream feed on the school’s website for neighbors to view the eagles from work or home.
In May, shortly after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Berkner High School and Spring Ridge Elementary were locked down after an “armed man in the neighborhood” was detained near Berkner.
The school was locked down for about 40 minutes, but students and staff were reported safe.
Hollywood Cinemark
The neighborhood’s last low-dollar late-run-movie theater closed for good in January. Hollywood wasn’t fancy, but it was ours.
Chris Gibson was a longtime school resource officer (SRO) at Lake Highlands High School. He died after a battle with COVID-19.
Gibson was a favorite among students, teachers and staff members at LHHS, Forest Meadow Junior High and other RISD schools.
Photo courtesy of Wes Romanowski
The loss of Picasso’s in 2020 dealt quite a blow, but some light returned to our neighborhood when it was reported Lake Highlands-based Jakes Burgers & Beer would take on the space with Jakes Gameday.
Jakes obviously had a big year with its expansions and spinoff Gameday concept, but in the midst of it all, they had to make some cuts.
The locally-owned burger chain closed its McKinney Avenue location in August. That spot will be redeveloped into a mixed-use tower.
