A Democratic Dallas County judge won a seat on Texas’ Fifth District Court of Appeals by less than 1,600 votes, thwarting a Republican sweep of the Dallas-based appellate court this election. Judge Tina Clinton narrowly defeated Republican attorney Matthew Kolodoski. Clinton received 50.05% of the vote to Kolodoski’s 49.95%. In other news, Freeman Martin was sworn in Monday as the new director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, taking over from longtime leader Steve McCraw. Next up, as child hunger rises in North Texas, schools are searching for solutions. One federal program could help. During the pandemic, the federal government expanded funding for free lunch in schools, which allowed meals to be served to all children regardless of income. And North Texas federal judges hand out the harshest sentences for methamphetamine trafficking in the country, a new investigation from The Dallas Morning News reveals. Even for first-time, non-violent offenders, getting caught with meth in North Texas can land them a longer prison sentence. The Dallas Morning News spent years investigating the harsher sentences, factors and guidelines judges use to hand out decadeslong prison sentences. Visit dallasnews.com/methpipeline to read the whole series.

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