Seven months ago, Clayton Eathman decided he wanted an alligator. Or a crocodile. It didn’t really matter so long as it had a green, scaly hide, razor-sharp teeth and looked badass on a leash. So, he did what any backwoods herpetologist would do: He turned to YouTube’s comment section. i…
Some 285 miles above the Earth’s surface, a pair of NASA satellites can measure changes in groundwater levels at river-basin scale. And what they’re telling us about Texas and much of the South is disturbing. The satellites are identifying hot spots that blanket East Texas and much of the Panhandle,…
There are many words that come to mind when you think of Dallas. “Barbecue,” for one. A lot of traffic-related phrases too, like “road construction,” “highway overpasses” or “valet parking.” But three surprising adjectives connected to Dallas are “young,” “broke” and “single,” at least according to Money Under 30, a…
You can always tell when a dog owner has no kids. They always seems to have the spare time and disposable income to hang out at the dog park, buy organic kibble and artisan chew toys, and lounge with their pets on their favorite restaurant patio. These are the people…
The writing had already been on the wall for weeks by the time a Senate committee convened in April to consider John Carona’s bill aimed at jump-starting construction of 62 miles of passenger rail along the Cotton Belt Corridor. The city of Fort Worth had scrawled the message in big,…
There are legal ways for stores to deal with hot checks. They can contact the customer and convince him or her to pay up. Failing that, they can go to small claims court. They can file a police report. They can even post offenders’ photos at the cash register as…
It was clear from the moment Joshua ISD officials cut the mic on Remington Reimer’s Jesus-referencing valedictory speech that his case would be trotted out as an example of a Christian being persecuted for expressing his religious beliefs. Doubly so once Plano’s Liberty Institute got involved. It wasn’t so clear-cut,…
The hearing of the Texas House State Affairs Committee meeting kicked off at 1 p.m. Thursday with a mere two items on the agenda: a pair of bills by Representative Jodie Laubenberg, a Republican from Parker with the modest aim of ending legal abortion in the Texas, or coming as…
This picture is a little less magical when you learn that it’s part of the Dallas Zoo’s annual Wildlife Education Day at Rangers Ballpark rather than, say, an adorable inter-species friendship struck up between some baseball-loving African penguins and Captain, the team’s equine mascot. But it’s still pretty damn magical…
Judging from some pretty spectacular video clips and photos, it’s little short of a miracle no one was killed in the December 3 fire that destroyed The Arbors of Las Colinas apartment complex in Irving. As it was, only one resident was taken to the hospital after falling from a…
Thirty years ago, no one in the U.S. knew what the hell a zebra mussel was. Five years back, the stories of the damage they can wreak on municipal water systems and aquatic ecosystems were still a fairy tale for Texans. Fifteen months ago, wildlife officials remained confident that the…
The announcement dispatched by Dallas ISD a few minutes ago about the restructuring of Superintendent Mike Miles’ top staff describes it as “a reorganization of the district’s academic operations” that will give four current mid-level administrators a chance to prove themselves at the top. Miles is quoted as saying he’s…
First of all, let’s dispense with a very basic fact: everyone loves fried chicken. With the possible exception of vegetarians — who, let’s be honest, are just lying to themselves — and some remote, yet-to-be-discovered hen worshipers in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, the fact that an individual enjoys…
Bad news, “extremists”: If you try to get tickets to the upcoming shindig at Dealey Plaza, the one memorializing the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, you will be denied. “What’s an extremist?” you may ask yourself, which is precisely the sort of question an extremist would ask. Minus 10…
Most area churches have been relatively cautious in reacting to the recent vote by the Irving-based Boy Scouts of America to lift its century-old ban on gay scouts. First Baptist’s Robert Jeffress rather predictably suggested that the move contradicts a scout’s promise to be “morally straight,” but the outcry here…
Dallas police showed up at a North Dallas home in April to check on the woman who lived there. She was alive, and so were the 46 dogs and cats with whom she shared the home. Dallas Animal Services manager Jody Jones says there were “huge amount of feces” in…
As the Texas Legislature’s special session drones on, the state’s lawmakers are grappling with what to do with teenagers — specifically with 17-year-olds convicted of murder. Last Thursday the Senate approved mandatory life sentencing with parole for 17-year-olds convicted of capital murder — with the option of parole coming 40…
The Glenn Beck media empire won’t be paying rent in Irving anymore. Mercury Radio Arts, Beck’s “news, opinion and entertainment network,” announced Wednesday afternoon its purchase of the Studios at Las Colinas, which has served as home base for The Blaze and his Glenn Beck show since 2012. Lest we…
Operation Flaming Dragon shut down nine massage parlors and a couple of homes in Dallas, Hurst, and Plano.
The day after her husband’s funeral, a week or so after she found him, Rebecca Morrison somehow managed to get dressed and get in the car. She was exhausted, wrung out of tears. She could barely move or speak. All that week her family and friends had to feed her,…
At about this time each year, Mattel rolls out a new collection of University Barbies®, who are invariably clad in pom poms and cheerleading outfits, the logo of their favorite educational institution emblazoned across their perky plastic chests. This year, the toy maker threw the Barbie-collecting community a curve ball…
You can’t always tell by watching Texas politics, but there are subtle distinctions to be made between being an arch conservative and being a colossal dick. Here’s how to tell if you’ve crossed the line: Look in a mirror. If you see Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s face, you’re safely in…
