NEWS & NOTES

Places

Cosmetic maven Mary Kay Ash’s pink mansion was demolished after more than 30 years as a neighborhood icon. The 11,874-square-foot home was introduced to the wrecking ball in mid-March because the cost of renovations exceeded its worth. An anonymous buyer purchased the house in 2016 after the sale price was reduced from $5.7 million to $1.9 million.

Dallas Fire-Rescue still hasn’t determined the cause of the seven-alarm fire that overtook Preston Place Condos in early March. It took firefighters more than 42 hours to extinguish the flames, which then rekindled two days later. Jacqueline McDonald, an 89-year-old resident, died in the blaze.

People

Preston Hollow’s Dr. Stephen Mansfield received the Virginia Chandler Dykes Leadership Award, an honor given annually to Dallasites who strive to improve education and quality of life in the community. The CEO and president of Methodist Health Systems volunteers for a host of organizations such as March of Dimes and the Dallas Citizens Council.

Education

In 18 days, Hillcrest High School students raised $3,686 to keep their 72-year-old newspaper alive. The Hillcrest Hurricane was in danger of being shuttered because of limited funding, so Editor-in-Chief Delaney Shiu started a GoFundMe page to print eight issues next year. Several successful journalists — including New York Times’ Steve Kenny, The Wall Street Journal’s Karen Blumenthal and USA Today’s Sharon Jayson — got their start at the student-run newspaper.

Development

The Northaven Trail and White Rock Creek Trail are one step closer to merging. The City of Dallas acquired land at 11231 N. Central Expressway, near Northaven Road, to construct an onramp and bridge over U.S. 75. The project is funded by Dallas County, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).