Behind-the-scenes dialogue between the Mavericks and the city of Dallas about potential sites for a new arena has intensified in recent days. Mavericks CEO Rick Welts said the most immediate goal is identifying and securing a 30-to-50-acre site for an arena and full-blown entertainment district in the next year. In other news, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines made an unexpected announcement Tuesday, saying it would be doing away with its bags fly free policy; if measles spreads to North Texas, Cook Children’s Medical Center says it will be ready. The Fort Worth hospital has six negative-pressure rooms to care for children with the virus; and a North Texas pharmacist was sentenced to prison for a scheme to defraud the federal government out of millions of dollars for skin creams. Dehshid “David” Nourian was sentenced last month to 17 1/2 years in prison for health care fraud, money laundering and defrauding the U.S. government.

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