Good morning. Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day.
Weather: Scattered clouds in the morning, then mostly sunny in the afternoon. Quite chilly. Low: 36 degrees. High: 57 degrees. Wind: NW 5-15 mph.
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Haven't purchased a health plan yet? Here's what Texans need to know by Friday
The deadline to shop for a health insurance plan on the federal marketplace is here, and so far more than 579,000 Texans have purchased insurance on healthcare.gov.
While that’s nearly 30 percent higher than the sign-up rate this time last year, one reason the pace might be accelerated is because the period to enroll in 2018 plans is 45 days shorter this year.
Most Texans have until Friday to shop on the federal marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. Indeed, despite a tumultuous year of back-and-forth debate and various failed attempts by Republicans to repeal or replace the Obama-era health law, it remains in effect.
Health insurance experts are urging those who still need to make selections to not just let an existing plan simply expire. Options that were available this year may not be sold for 2018, and people enrolled in those expired plans will be automatically put into a new option that they did not actively select. And there’s good reason to shop around, experts say.
Health care: Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Garland will close in March.
Critical choices: Earlier this year, The Dallas Morning News talked to North Texans about why health care reform is so hard.
State scraps plans to partially toll I-635 East, leaving expansion in limbo
The Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday unanimously voted to eliminate a $1.8 billion rebuild and expansion of Interstate 635 East from the state's 2018 plan.
By taking I-635 East — the No. 1 project on regional planners' list — and Austin's Interstate 35 project off the table, the state commission accomplished its task of scrubbing all tolled projects from its Unified Transportation Program.
The 10.8 miles of freeway in Dallas, Garland and Mesquite was to have included both free and managed lanes, with tolls on the managed lanes used to pay back the project's debt. But Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told commissioners last month that toll roads were no longer an option.
Traffic: A stretch of U.S. Highway 75 in rural Collin County will be closed from Friday evening until Saturday morning.
Off-duty cop unloaded on teens 5 seconds after he ran them off road, investigators say at murder trial
An off-duty police officer was shooting into a car at two teenage burglars less than five seconds after he rammed their car off the road, investigators testified during his murder trial this week.
In March 2016, Ken Johnson rammed a Dodge Challenger with his Chevrolet Tahoe twice, causing the Challenger to spin out and crash onto a sidewalk in front of an Addison gas station.
After the crash, the 37-year-old Farmers Branch officer jumped out of his Tahoe — which was rolling into oncoming traffic — and shot 16 times into the Challenger, killing 16-year-old Jose Cruz and seriously wounding Edgar Rodriguez.
More than 20 people saw parts of the crash and the shooting at the intersection of Marsh Lane and Spring Valley Road. One witness testified that Johnson whooped as he was jumping out of his Tahoe and rushing toward the Challenger. Another said Johnson made an angry sound, like a grunt.
"Not everyone heard the 'woohoo,' but no one heard him identify himself as a police officer," testified Eric Aguilar, the detective on the case. "And even if he did, there wasn't enough time to comply."
Accidental death: A plumber died beneath a Flower Mound home after the foundation collapsed and trapped him.
Crime: An East Texas woman let her 7-year-old drive her car because she was too drunk, police say.
Photo of the morning
A mentor jokes with a student during an activity to learn how to tie a tie during the "Breakfast with Dads" event at Billy Earl Dade Middle School in Dallas on Thursday.
For the inaugural event, administrators at the South Dallas middle school were looking for 50 to 100 male mentors to help. But on Thursday morning, nearly 600 men arrived to volunteer at the gathering focused on Dade's male students.
The crowd of volunteers came from diverse backgrounds, including dads from various parts of Dallas, men in local law enforcement, public officials and community organizers.
The boys, ages 11 to 13, reacted with smiles and questions during one activity that focused on how to tie a necktie. Some had learned before and forgotten. Others were taught for the first time Thursday morning.
Around the site
Holiday deliveries: It's the final countdown for Christmas shipping -- what you need to know to get your packages on time.
Dallas Mavericks: Will Dirk Nowitzki be back for another season? "It's looking like it," he told staff writer Eddie Sefko.
Politics: The Texas Senate has started the process of reviewing and revising its 22-year-old sexual harassment policy.
Philanthropy: Ruth Altshuler, a Dallas charity and civic leader, was remembered Thursday as city's "true north."
Opinion: Evangelical churches are embracing liturgy to make the megachurch more personal, writes contributor Ryan Sanders.
Fun stuff: Alamo Drafthouse is adding a new North Texas location in 2018: Denton.
Finally,
As John Stephen Jones heads into a second straight state semifinal as Highland Park's quarterback on Friday, he still carries a lot of his 6- or 7-year-old self.
That kid was sitting in the back seat coming home from a practice in one of the four sports he played when his mom, Karen, asked him which one he liked best.
"Mom, I love them all," he told her. "But I was born to play football."
If anybody was indeed born to play a sport, it's hard to argue against John Stephen and football. His dad, Stephen: Cowboys executive vice president. His grandfather, Jerry: Cowboys owner and general manager. Other members of the extended family fill other front office roles.
But for John Stephen, it's not about the family business. It's about carving a legacy all his own, and it's one that's been building since the youth leagues.
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