There's good news and bad news -- Dallas has been named one of the Top 10 terrorist targets in the United States, according to a report in the Dallas Morning News.
The good news is that now North Texas will receive millions of dollars in federal funds to help improve security. The bad news is that the factors that raised the ranking could put more North Texans at risk.
The Department of Homeland Security doesn't reveal what led to the "improved" ranking, but there are a few obvious attractions in North Texas that could make for a desireable target, including the new $1.2 billion home of America's Team in Arlington, an ex-president living in Dallas, a recent attempt by a Jordanian man to blow up a Dallas skyscraper and large collection of companies producing hardware for the military.
Believe it or not, the distinction is one sought by many city and state leaders who thought Dallas should have always been a top-tier city due to its population, soft targets and key resources.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas-Fort Worth area stands to get $25 million next year under the Urban Area Security Initiative, part of a grant program that will provide $832.5 million to 64 high-threat urban areas.
In addition to Dallas, Boston and Philadelphia were added to the top-tier. The additions created the first Top 10 list of most-probable terror targets. Others on the list include Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Newark and San Francisco.
