Lake Highlands Advocate

09/04/2026

From the September issue: As customers walk through the doors of Desta Ethiopian, the smell of crisp sambusas, spicy tegabino shiro and seasoned banatu guides them towards a comfortable seat, eager to taste the intricate tapestry of flavors that fill the air.⁠
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Owner Mahdere “Maddie” Gebreselassie welcomes guests of all backgrounds, dedicating herself to creating an intimate, enjoyable dining experience. “I want customers to feel like it’s their own restaurant. I don’t want them to come here and feel like strangers. The door is open for anyone,” Gebreselassie says. “We make them feel comfortable. Whatever the customer needs, we will be there for them.”⁠
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“We have food for meat-lovers, vegans and vegetarians,” Gebreselassie says. “Ethiopian food is special. It has different tastes. You can’t find it just anywhere.” Desta’s drink selection includes Ethiopian spiced hot tea ($2.99), ginger tea ($4.99) and a macchiato ($4.99), giving guests the chance to taste real Ethiopian coffee and chai. “Our coffee is born in Ethiopia,” Gebreselassie says. “Coffee for us is everything. With it, we can socialize and make people comfortable.”⁠
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https://lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/2026/08/26/desta-ethiopian-2/
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📷️: .photos⁠

09/03/2026

North Texas Giving Day is underway! ⁠
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Your support helps keep local journalism relevant and ensures our communities have access to the hyperlocal news that matters most.⁠
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Donate to Advocate Media today and help us continue telling local stories. ⁠
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https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/Advocate-Media-Dallas

09/02/2026

Want to win tickets to the State Fair of Texas? Enter Advocate Media’s State Fair of Texas ticket giveaway now for your chance to win! 🎟️⁠
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Giveaway ends September 24. Click here to enter.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeu_stt6HFyRfJcUliA3EF-IqqPU8QiXoP9KCcvvfFGFe91jQ/viewform

09/02/2026

From the September issue: Put plainly, the Dallas Animal Services (DAS) department doesn’t have the medical staff to manage Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) surgeries, says Amanda Earl, Dallas Animal Services (DAS) assistant director of operations. “We’re constantly leaning on our partners and establishing those partnerships as we can to supplement the resources that we have right now, but the community has to participate.” ⁠
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Recruiting veterinarians tends to be a challenge since there are less than 40 American Veterinary Medical Association-accredited colleges in the U.S. On top of that, shelter medicine tends to be a niche study, and filling those roles is difficult. Not every vet can manage 30 or more surgeries in a day. Case in point, DAS has had a full-time veterinarian vacancy since last fall. ⁠
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“We can’t compete with private enterprise,” Earl says. “We can’t pay off their student tuition costs that they’ve incurred. We can’t offer them the same salaries and benefits as others because we are a municipal organization.” As of writing this, the department has veterinarians for treatment (one full-time and one temporary part-time), telehealth, and forensics, plus two surgeons, one full-time and one temporary part-time. Compared to the almost 29,000 animals DAS takes in per year, this is a small team, Earl says.⁠
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https://lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/dallas-is-short-on-trap-neuter-return-resources-for-cats/
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📷️: Courtesy of Dallas Animal Services⁠

09/01/2026

Celebrate our Best of 2026 winners & runner-ups from Lakewood/East Dallas and Lake Highlands at an exclusive Best of Party hosted by Advocate Media and Summerhill Pools.⁠
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Join us September 24 from 4–6 p.m. at the Summerhill Outdoor Showroom for free light bites, b**r, w**e & soft drinks. ⁠

Click here for tickets. https://tickets.evvnt.com/events/best-of-2026-party-9-24-2026

08/31/2026

This Texas Giving Day, the Advocate Media team is repping our and supporting the power of local journalism! ⁠
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Help support our mission to provide free, hyperlocal news this North Texas Giving Day. https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/Advocate-Media-Dallas

08/31/2026

As she works to earn her Eagle Scout Award, Lucy Boyd’s goal in creating the sensory room at Wilshire Baptist Church was to create a safe and welcoming space where children feel calm, happy and ready to learn.

Lucy Boyd in the new Sensory Room at Wilshire Baptist Church When Lucy Boyd was considering community service projects to help earn her coveted Eagle Scout Award, she searched for one which would have a lasting impact on the community, on the Scouts

08/31/2026

Inside the Lake Highlands Advocate September 2026, meet Tracy Lynn Tucker and her tale of two callings: Crafting jewelry and cultivating wellness. Accessorize your fur baby with bow ties, slip-over collar bandanas, leashes and collars from a company that started with one custom leash and has grown around a tailor-inspired approach to pet accessories. Light your life with Old Flame Candle Co., a Lake Highlands candlemaker that gives antiques a second life.⁠
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Find out who is helping community cats, as Dallas Animal Services lacks the capacity for direct Trap-Neuter-Return service due to budget and personnel constraints.⁠
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Dine at Desta Ethiopian where food means family, using natural Ethiopian ingredients and traditional cooking methods to maximize cultural authenticity.⁠
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Learn to appreciate the wildlife living in our backyards with neighbors Rebecca Hamlin, president of the North Texas Wildlife Center and attorney Sarah-Michelle Stearns.⁠
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Read this month's digital edition:
https://digital.advocatemag.com/lake-highlands-current-edition/

08/29/2026

From the August issue: “This is a coffee farm?” Christina James traveled to Bogotá to reconnect with her father. She hadn’t seen him since she was 3 years old, and at 23, she was meeting him again. Knowing about her love for coffee, her father invited her to visit a family friend’s coffee farm. “I always felt like I didn’t know enough about coffee … and I was on that farm, and I had this connection to it,” James says. ⁠
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That was 13 years ago, and it has grown into Pull Through Coffee Bar, the coffee shop James opened inside Dallas Bike Works at White Rock Lake. Equal parts cafe and cyclist community hub, the bar serves as a gathering place for cyclists and families. But before Pull Through, there were troubled times. Strict homeschooling, feelings of isolation, fear of opening up to her family about her girlfriend, and several moves caused her to leave home. “When I was 17, I left home. I ran away, actually,” she says. “My education was behind, and my Aunt Diane helped me get my GED,” James says. “(Aunt Diane) helped me dream.” ⁠
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She worked at Starbucks for a decade around the East Coast, California and Texas. Once in Dallas, James decided to step away from chain coffee and focus on working with local mom-and-pop businesses like Cultivar Coffee Roasting Co. The switch to quality service and production opened up another side of the coffee industry. In 2021, she opened her own shop, Pull Through Coffee Bar, with the support of Boyd Wallace, owner of Dallas Bike Works.⁠
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James’ favorite summer drink is the Goji Matcha Sunrise ($8.75), made with goji berry syrup, coconut water, oat milk, ceremonial-grade matcha and topped with the cafe’s signature “manic pixie dust.” Another standout is the Sultry Saffron Sunset Spritzer ($8.75), a sparkling espresso drink finished with dried guava and mango. The summer menu will be available through September. ⁠
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https://lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/2026/08/04/pull-through-coffee-bar-is-where-coffee-cycling-come-together/
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📷️: Justin Schwartz⁠

08/27/2026

North Texas Giving Day begins today! ⁠
⁠
Your support helps keep local journalism relevant and ensures our communities have access to the hyperlocal news that matters most.⁠
⁠
Donate to Advocate Media today and help us continue telling local stories. ⁠
⁠
https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/Advocate-Media-Dallas