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Schnthia Herod has always had big, bright eyes and even bigger plans for herself. When we first met her in 2013, the 11-year-old was proud to have mastered many household tasks and basic budgeting.

"If I didn't learn all the cleaning and all the chores and the discipline now, when I grow up and my mom's not there to walk me through every step, I'd be lost," she said.

Now, at 16, Schnthia is the mom looking out for a little one. Five month-old Eulijah is all she thinks about.

It’s a very big day. Applause, cheers and deep thumping beats belie the athletic atmosphere. 

This is no stadium, but a large, festive room on Lockheed Martin’s sprawling campus in Fort Worth. Dozens of students with hundreds of relatives and Lockheed employees are celebrating signing day.

A new gallery and performance venue in Dallas’ Design District will highlight art from South Asia, but the founders hope artists and art groups around North Texas will use the space.

Center Stage is home base to the nonprofit Dallas Indian Arts Collective (DIAC). Anu Agarwal and Jitin Hingorani formed the collective to showcase and preserve Indian culture for South Asians — and introduce it to a larger audience.

Over-the-counter medications usually relieve most cases of acid reflux, or what some call “nighttime heartburn," but they don’t always work. 

The top local stories this evening from KERA News:

A North Texas teacher, suspended last fall for talking about her wife to students, will be back in the classroom next week, just not the one she was teaching in a year ago.

The top local stories this morning from KERA News:

The annual Texas sales tax holiday starts on Friday as children prepare to return to school. The Texas comptroller's office says the tax-free weekend, for a number of school-related items, will run until Sunday.

The top local stories this evening from KERA News:

The second highest-ranking elected official in Dallas has pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and tax evasion charges.

Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges Thursday morning. He's also resigned from City Council.

Caraway pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of tax evasion, according to the U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of Texas.

The top local stories this morning from KERA News:

Texas school districts will soon receive letter grades for the first time as the state prepares to roll out its new accountability system. School district scores on an A-F grading system will be released August 15.

The top local stories this evening from KERA News:

The number of people apprehended for illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border is down, according to an announcement from The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday.

Fort Worth is scrambling to find a fix to shore up its pension fund, which will go bankrupt within 30 years if nothing is done, according to city leaders.

Plans to upload blueprints to the internet for 3D-printed guns are on hold as lawsuits crop up around the country seeking to control their distribution — and as with any new technology, the law is playing catch-up.

The top local stories this morning from KERA News:

The city of Fort Worth is staring down the barrel of a $1.6 billion pension problem. The retirement fund for city workers, police officers and firefighters is likely to run out of money in two to three decades if nothing is done.

The top local stories this evening from KERA News:

Governor Greg Abbott says the bail system in Texas needs to change, after a man out on bond allegedly shot and killed state trooper Damon Allen last year near Fairfield, 60 miles east of Waco.

Almost half of all renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent, and with the lack of affordable housing, it’s no wonder more than 500,000 Americans spend the night on the streets.

Rural libraries in Texas face many challenges — they don’t have a lot of resources, but the people they serve have a lot of needs.

A new effort from Texas Woman’s University in Denton and the Texas Library Association is focused on helping them.

The top local stories this morning from KERA News:

The Trump Justice Department says it proved that Dallas-based AT&T's mega-merger with Time Warner will hurt competition, and the judge who allowed the takeover was clearly wrong to conclude consumers wouldn't be harmed.

The top local stories this evening from KERA News:

A Dallas state senator met today with Russian officials in Moscow. A spokesman for Republican Don Huffines tells The Texas Tribune that he's in Russia for "frank discussions" and to demand that Russia stop meddling in U.S. elections.

One year shy of the 50th moon landing anniversary, young space enthusiasts pack Dallas' Frontiers of Flight Museum. CEO Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones says this place will see three to four times the normal Saturday turnout. 

The top local stories this morning from KERA News:

Firefighters to the west of North Texas are battling two wildfires. The Texas A&M Forest Service reports fire crews have a 140-acre wildfire 75 percent contained in Jack County, about 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth.