After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 was a year that finally felt normal again. But there was no shortage of news.
We wrote about breaking news, housing affordability and crime, but also the people, history and food that makes our neighborhood so special.
So now, as 2022 comes to an end, we are looking back at the stories that captured the neighborhood’s attention a bit more than all the rest.
There are the 10 most-read stories of 2022.
1. Methodist Dallas Medical Center shooting
A sign outside of the Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Photo by Rachel Stone.
In October, our neighborhood experienced tragedy when an armed shooter entered the Methodist Dallas Medical Center and shot and killed two hospital employees.
“The Methodist Health System Family is heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members. Our entire organization is grieving this unimaginable tragedy,” a statement released by the hospital after the shooting said.
Our initial reporting about the shooting can be read here.
2. Bakery owner charged with murder
Manuel Tellez was the owner of Maroches Bakery on West Davis, but in April he was arrested and charged with murder.
Tellez was accused of stabbing 52-year-old Anthony Moreno and then burning his body in an alley behind Kings Highway near Edgefield.
Moreno was an art vendor who sold sugar skull artwork in the bakery, according to a police affidavit.
To read more reporting about the tragic attack and Moreno, click here.
3. Making rent
In 2022, we saw conversations surrounding income and affordable housing become even more common.
In October, we published the results of a SmartAsset study which found Dallas to be 12th out of 25 cities surveyed about income needed to live comfortably.
In this study, though, Dallas was not the most expensive Texas city to live in. Austin takes home that award.
To see more information from the survey, visit our story here.
4. Maroches murder details
Soon after the arrest of Manuel Tellez, the Advocate published details of the murder that were released by police.
Among them, the news that Tellez was friends with Anthony Moreno and the two men had filmed an Instagram Live video together before Moreno was stabbed and killed.
All of the details on the tragedy can be found here.
5. Barrow filling station demolished
Photo of the Barrow filling station courtesy of the Dallas Public Library History and Archives Division
The lore of Bonnie and Clyde have held a tight grip on our neighborhood for decades. But, in 2022, we saw the demolition of one piece of that infamous past.
Barrow Filling Station, the family home of Clyde Barrow, was torn down in April. The demolition inspired some confusion about the building’s landmark status. While the building was voted to be initiated as a landmark in 2020, the pandemic seemed to derail that initiation leading to the demolition.
“There are those who say we should not glorify criminals and poverty, but this is part of our history,” West Dallas native Elsa Cadena said at the 2020 landmark initiation hearing.
To learn more about the buildings past, and the voices advocating for and against its demolition, visit here.
6. Wynnewood apartment demolition
New apartment developments in Oak Cliff is nothing new, but we were particularly interested in this years development of the Wynnewood apartments.
The affordable housing, post-World War II apartments will be demolished to make way for more modern apartments.
Read about details for the apartments, as well as the hundreds of residents who called the Wynnewood apartments home, here.
7. Antonio Lechuga
Antonio “Tony” Lechuga. Photo courtesy of Cynthia Lechuga.
Antonio Lechuga, an artist from Oak Cliff, was shot while jogging in July.
Lechuga was jogging on the Santa Fe Trail near his home when he was shot, and was rushed into emergency surgery after police responded to the scene.
Lechuga survived the shooting, and two men were arrested in connection with the shooting.
To read our initial reporting on the event visit here, or see our follow up reporting here.
8. Where is tenth street?
Photography by Corrie Aune
Historic inequity is a deep part of Oak Cliff’s history, and some neighbors are working to address that.
The tenth street historic district is one of the original neighborhoods of Oak Cliff, but with the city of Dallas largely ignoring the area, many don’t know the role it played in our neighborhoods history.
Read here to learn about the history of the Freedman’s town, and how neighbors are working to bring attention to the tenth street legacy.
9. Deck park flyover
A rendering of the future Southern Gateway Park.
Set to open in early 2024, the Southern Gateway Park is one of the neighborhoods most anticipated developments.
In 2022, the cement deck for the park was completed, and we published a video released by the park’s foundation that shows a birds eye view of the park, as well as equity plans, here.
10. Pressed by Perla grand opening
Perla Murillo opened Pressed by Perla in May 2022
We love a grand opening, and the opening of Pressed by Perla caused quite the neighborhood buzz.
With a DJ and champagne to mark the event, Pressed by Perla is a juice shop that opened on West Davis Street this year.
Perla Murillo, the store owner, is an Oak Cliff native who quit her job to open the shop. To read about her entrepreneurial juicings, visit here.
