Year In Review: The most-read stories from Dallas-Fort Worth in 2024

 

From sports payouts and court rulings to viral dorm rooms and environmental mayhem, these were the 10 most clicked-on stories posted to WFAA.com in 2024.

DALLAS — Can you believe 2024 only lasted 12 months?

There were times when it breezed by in the blink of an eye. And there were other moments during which it felt like its passing was taking an eternity.

All sorts of stuff went down this year in North Texas. It’s tough to remember all of it, frankly.

Here’s what we do know. There were plenty of real estate developments, per usual. The same goes for area businesses opening and closing. There were newcomers to these parts aplenty. There were cherished community members taken from us. There was weather of all sorts. And there were headline-grabbing personalities all over the place.

As much as any other method, though, one tried-and-true method of taking stock of the year that was is to look back at the stories that moved the needle most among our readers. So, let’s do just that.

Below are the 10 most-read Dallas-Fort Worth stories on WFAA.com from 2024. 

Date: October 11

Excerpt: “The United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a significant order Friday in a legal battle over foster care in Texas — a fight that has been going on for 13 years now and cost Texans more than $200 million.

The ruling reverses an April contempt of court ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Janis Jack against the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) for failing to properly investigate abuse allegations made by children who are permanently in the state’s care.

Jack ordered a $50,000 per day fine for two remedial orders she ruled HHSC violated, totaling $100,000 per day. The Fifth Circuit paused the fines as it reviewed arguments from both sides. 

Friday’s ruling also undid Jack’s order that HHSC pay a $50,000 per day fine for two remedial orders she ruled that the agency had violated — payments that the Fifth Circuit paused as it reviewed the state’s appeal of Jack’s ruling

Notably, Friday’s ruling also directs the case, which Jack has presided over since it was filed more than a decade ago, to another judge.”

Date: September 1

Excerpt: “The PGA Tour season ended Sunday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for the 2024 TOUR Championship. 

Scottie Scheffler, a Dallas native and the world’s #1 golfer in 2024, claimed victory and took home $25 million in prize money. That pushed his season earnings, including bonuses, to just over $62.3 million.

But this season has also been pretty sweet for Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott, too.”

Date: July 28

Excerpt: “During a sermon Sunday, Cross Timbers Church announced the resignation of lead pastor Josiah Anthony, citing ‘inappropriate and hurtful’ actions.

Cross Timbers officials in a statement to WFAA on Monday clarified that Anthony’s alleged actions ‘does not include any children, physical or sexual interactions or any illegal activity to our knowledge.’

Elder John Chalk addressed the change in broad terms at the church Sunday, mostly reading from a written statement addressing Anthony’s resignation. The church has since removed a recording of the sermon from its Facebook page. “

Date: November 15

Excerpt: “The Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight at AT&T Stadium on Friday night was a hotly anticipated affair that, um, didn’t quite live up to the hype.

The fight *technically* wasn’t free to watch, but anyone with a Netflix subscription could tune in to watch the fight. Not bad, considering the cost of a Netflix subscription is far less than what high-profile boxing pay-per-views have historically cost. (That didn’t stop people from complaining about buffering issues during the livestream, though.)

Somewhat less clear was how much Tyson and Paul earned for the fight.”

Date: October 4

Excerpt: “Cellphones across Texas buzzed and lit up early Friday morning.

The Texas Department of Public Safety shortly before 5 a.m. issued a blue alert for a wanted suspect out of Memphis, Texas, a small town in Hall County in the Texas Panhandle.

Seth Altman, 33, was named as the wanted suspect, according to the alert, which is aimed at helping authorities find suspects who are accused in incidents involving a law enforcement officer.”

Date: August 4

Excerpt: “Dallas’ own Scottie Scheffler is ranked No. 1 in the world, and he has the titles and paychecks to prove it. He’s won about $27.6 million in earnings from the PGA Tour this year. Now, he adds an Olympic gold medal to his list of wins this year. 

Scheffler clinched the gold medal after starting the final round of play on Sunday four shots back of the lead. But Scheffler rallied to finish with 19-under ahead of Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood, who won silver, and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who claimed bronze. 

Now, after winning gold in the men’s golf tournament at the Paris Olympics, he’ll be taking home another check along with his gold medal.”

Date: August 23

Excerpt: “Ava Hunt, the youngest daughter of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, moved into her SMU dorm on Friday. 

With that move came a touching social media post from her mother Tavia — and some viral media attention, too.

Earlier this year, the 19-year-old Ava announced she would be attending SMU to be part of the university’s cheer team. She’s a clear legacy on The Hilltop, too. Her father Clark attended SMU in the ’80s. Her uncle, FC Dallas owner Dan Hunt, graduated from the school in 2000. Her grandfather Lamar Hunt, who founded the Dallas Texans (now Kansas City Chiefs) and Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas) and coined the term “The Super Bowl”, played football for the Mustangs before graduating in 1956. Naturally, plenty of her cousins have attended SMU as well.

But it’s safe to say few members of her family have moved onto campus, as Ava did this past weekend, with as much hoopla as she received.”

Date: July 11

Excerpt: “A civil case between Jerry Jones, a woman claiming to be his daughter and her mother appears to be headed to a jury trial, after a judge ruled that a settlement agreement Jones claims the two entered into and then violated is a valid contract.

The two women, Alexandra Davis and her mother Cynthia Davis-Spencer, entered into the agreement with Jones in 1998. A copy of the alleged agreement, submitted with the initial countersuit, claims Davis was contractually prohibited from suing Jones to establish paternity and was required to keep the facts and terms of their agreement confidential.” (Editor’s note: The case would go to trial later in the month, only to abruptly come to an end when both parties reached a surprise settlement while the jury was deliberating over the facts of the case.)

Date: October 1

Excerpt: “Amy Schultz was supposed to be in the mountains of Western North Carolina for what she called one of her speedbump birthdays – a year that ends in a five.

She lives in North Texas but used to be a Florida resident, so she doesn’t take hurricanes lightly.

She and her husband were scheduled on an American Airlines flight from DFW on Thursday.

But when the airline waived its change fees because a hurricane was bearing down across the southeast, they took it as a sign to cancel their trip.”

Date: September 30

Excerpt: “More than a dozen East Texans residents Monday opposed a plan to flood their homes and create a reservoir that Dallas-Fort Worth residents could tap for drinking water in coming decades. 

To construct the Marvin Nichols Reservoir, engineers would dam the Sulphur River and inundate nearly 70,000 acres of land near Bogata. Pipes would carry water stored in the new lake to the metroplex, supplying enough water for 3 million people there.”