Rachel Stone, Author at Preston Hollow

Q: Free pie at Norma’s Cafe Tuesday

Jan. 23 is National Pie Day, and that means free pie from Norma’s Cafe . The restaurant offers free slices of chocolate, lemon, coconut, Oreo and chocolate peanut butter pie from 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday. The deal is for dine-in customers only and no purchase is necessary. Norma’s also is bringing back their birthday-cake pie, which has cake-flavored cream and cookie bits with a homemade whipped cream topping, sprinkles and Oreos, for a limited time. Buy a slice or whole birthday-cake pie in the month of January, and Norma’s will donate proceeds to the Birthday Party Project , which organizes birthday parties for homeless children.

Q: City Council to take security action after siren attack

[caption id="attachment_55457" align="aligncenter" width="479"] Getty Images[/caption] City Manager T.C. Broadnax on Monday briefed City Council members on the response to the tornado-siren hack this past weekend. Broadnax said his office is looking at all of the city’s critical systems, including water, radio, 911 and 311 systems, police and fire dispatch, flood-warning systems and financial systems. Council’s public safety committee, which met today, wasn’t permitted to ask questions or have discussion about Broadnax’s briefing because it wasn’t an official agenda item. Councilman Philip Kingston requested to take the committee into off-the-record executive session so that Broadnax could provide more details, but a city attorney advised that would be against open meeting laws. Broadnax said the full City Council we be updated in executive session Wednesday, and they likely will be asked to take action on a security-related request. All 156 of the city’s tornado sirens went off intermittently for more than an hour, starting around 11:45 p.m. Friday. Calls to 911 resulted in a backlog of calls and a 6-minute wait time overnight. The city confirmed Saturday that the system had been hacked. Mayor Mike Rawlings said the city could “find and prosecute whomever is responsible.” The Dallas Police Department is taking the lead on the investigation with assistance from the FBI. “We’re taking this very seriously,” Broadnax says. “We’re going to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Q: Help DISD homeless students this winter

There are about 3,600 homeless students in the Dallas ISD. That’s only about 2.2 percent of the school district’s 160,000 students, but the numbers continue to increase year after year. The district’s Homeless Education Program is seeking donations to help its most vulnerable students get through the winter. A list of items needed is below, and they can be dropped off at DISD headquarters on Ross . Uniform tops and bottoms (all sizes) Undergarments (all sizes) Coats, hats, gloves and scarves (all sizes) School supplies Blankets and pillows Hygiene items Non-perishable foods and canned goods Laundry detergent

Q: Costco begins construction, could open next summer

The planned Costco store on Coit at Churchill could open in summer 2017. The 13-acre site already has been cleared, and builder Robinson Construction Co. already put up a perimeter fence and construction trailer. "I don't think we're going to have it in time for Christmas this year," says City Councilman Lee Kleinman. But the store is expected to open by mid-summer, Kleinman says. Costco received $3 million in economic development funds from the city of Dallas to buy the land, which previously belonged to the Texas Department of Transportation. Building permits show the project is expected to cost about $12.6 million. The store will comprise 150,437 square feet with 703 parking spaces, a gas station and a retaining wall.

Q: Buy a pie, help fight hunger

If you can afford a $25 pie, there’s something to be thankful for. And if you can afford a $25 pie, you can help fight hunger in Dallas. Power of Pie is a fundraiser for VNA Meals on Wheel s and Hospice Care , which provides free hot meals daily to low-income, homebound people in Dallas. The pies are baked by some of the best in Dallas, including chefs John Tesar of Knife, Jill Bates of Fearing’s and Chad Houser of Café Momentum, along with the bakers of Norma’s Café. Buy pumpkin or pecan pies online by Nov. 17 and pick them up at locations the VNA Headquarters near Brook Hollow Golf Club Nov. 22-23. All of the money, your whole $25, goes to Meals on Wheels . If pie is not your thing, donate $25 to provide daily hot meals to those in need.