Firefighter widow fights for benefits, American Airlines made $1.2B in baggage fees: Your weekend roundup

 [Morning roundup]( 05/12/2019 By Mallorie Sullivan and Carla Solórzano Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines of the weekend so far. 🌥️ Weather: Partly cloudy and pleasant. High of 77. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Kristi Walters, wife of Dallas firefighter David Walters who died suddenly last November, is pushing for City Hall to improve survivor benefits for first-responders who die while still on active duty. (Rose Baca/Staff Photographer) DALLAS CITY HALL [Here's why this Dallas widow is fighting for better benefits for firefighter survivors]( Kristi Walters said her husband David endured many "close calls" in his two decades as a Dallas firefighter. But David Walters, 49, last year didn't die at a blaze or a car-wreck scene or at the fire station; he collapsed suddenly after playing a little football with his family the day after Thanksgiving. Days after his death, the city of Dallas notified Kristi, 52, that she and her three teenage sons couldn't stay on the city's health insurance plan. If David had died on the job, then the Walters family would have qualified for line-of-duty death benefits through the city of Dallas, which would include continuation of health-insurance benefits. Kristi [is now pushing for City Hall to improve survivor benefits for first-responders who die while still on active duty](.  Also: Debate season for the Dallas mayoral runoff begins this week, but the [political posturing surrounding those debates is already well underway](.  ADVERTISEMENT BUSINESS [American Airlines made $1.2B last year by charging travelers for their least favorite thing]( Baggage fees are big business for Fort Worth-based American Airlines, [bringing in an industry-leading $1.2 billion in revenue last year]( for the world's largest carrier. And even the airline that boasts "bags fly free" - Dallas-based Southwest Airlines - collected a tidy $50 million from charging passengers for extra luggage. It gives passengers two free checked bags before it tacks on fees. Overall, the airline industry racked up $4.9 billion in 2018 by charging customers baggage fees, according to new data collected by the U. S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. It was the most lucrative year since airlines started the practice more than a decade ago. Airlines have used bag fees as a revenue booster for several years now. American Airlines began charging in 2008. Its cost has risen from $15 a bag to today's $30 fee.  Also: The Adolphus Hotel, following a two-year renovation, [isn't just for out-of-towners anymore.](   And: Why artificial intelligence's evolution [could have outsize impact on D-FW jobs.](  (Stewart F. House/Special Contributor) ADVERTISEMENT PHOTO OF THE WEEKEND Even FC Dallas fans miss Dirk Dirk Nowitzki, retired Dallas Mavericks player, spent some time at Toyota Stadium on Saturday as FC Dallas hosted the New York Red Bulls. While hanging with fans, Nowitzki signed Arlington resident Chase Tripp's arm which is already emblazoned with the Mavs logo. While many were all smiles with Nowitzki, FC Dallas coach Luchi Gonzalez may feel like a man being followed by a dark cloud. The team lost 3-1, [but]( 38-year-old said he's still confident his team can put in the work needed to turn things around](. AROUND THE SITE - Art: Fiber artist Sheila Hicks wants the [Dallas Museum of Art to have another one of her tapestry-like artworks](. - Commentary: I'm a Southern Baptist pastor, and [here's why I oppose a Texas bill to imprison women who receive abortions](. - Crime: The man who reported his 4-year-old stepdaughter missing last week [has been arrested on a charge of tampering with evidence]( Houston police said. FINALLY... [How Emily Jones evolved from young Rangers reporter to team's second 'mom']( Emily Jones, who has reported from next to the Texas Rangers’ dugout for 15 seasons, is not your typical reporter. First, like the Rangers' television play-by-play and color analysts, she's an employee of the team. And she's become as recognizable as a face of the team as any of them. Second, she's emotionally invested in her players, unapologetically so. Third, well, there is nothing typical about the way she does her job. At 41, the mother of a 7-year-old son she lovingly calls "Warm Mess" Henry and 5-year-old daughter "Hot Mess" Hattie, Jones has created a distinctive approach to her job and her life. In short, she brings her approach to her family into the clubhouse. Who she has become has been shaped in equal parts by the joy of motherhood and the grief of two devastating losses. She cares not just about the stories, but also unapologetically about the people on whom she reports. She writes her kids loving affirmation notes for their school lunches -- even for those days when she is on the road -- and doesn't hesitate to discipline them. [She treats the players, more and more of whom are 10 to 15 years her junior, much the same way.](  👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. Do you have feedback? 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