Five stories that have North Texas talking: Rick Perry has be tapped to lead the agency he forgot in 2012; the next steps after your home is accidentally razed; vote for “Best of Think”; and more.
The 2016 election has come and gone, but zany write-in candidates are forever. Texans who didn’t vote for Republican Donald Trump, Democrat Hillary Clinton or third party creatively suggested other candidates to lead the country instead. The Texas Tribune conducted an hours-long investigation tallying the uncertified write-in candidates from the five biggest counties in Texas: Bexar, Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Travis.
Reasonable candidates that garnered support included Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, Barack and Michelle Obama, Bush 41 and 43. As for the non-political write-ins? Texas voters would have liked to have seen retired Dallas Police Chief David Brown, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott or Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in The White House this January. But the suggestions (Jesus Christ, Harambe, giant meteor) only spiraled into ludicrosity from there. Read the full article from the Tribune. [The Texas Tribune]
- Donald Trump has nominated Rick Perry to lead the agency he once forgot. The former governor of Texas blanked on the name of the Department of Energyduring a “televised gaffe that was probably the most high-profile moment of his troubled 2012 presidential run,” according to NPR. If confirmed, Perry would oversee everything from “funding energy research and providing loans for alternative energy efforts, to tracking and analyzing American energy production and consumption, to securing the safety of America's nuclear weapons.” Here’s everyone in Trump’s Cabinet so far. [NPR]
- Twitter restored Richard Spencer’s personal account less than a month after suspending it. The social media company had suspended the white nationalist’s account along with other accounts belonging to prominent members of the so-called "alt-right" movement. The company told Spencer that it suspended five of his accounts on Nov. 15 for violating a rule against creating multiple accounts with overlapping uses. Twitter told Spencer in an email that his other accounts, including ones for the National Policy Institute and its publishing wing, will remain suspended. [The Associated Press]
- Last year, on the day after Christmas, 12 tornadoes ripped through North Texas, killing 13 people and damaging or destroying hundreds of homes. With the holidays approaching, we return to Rowlett and Garland to see how four families are rebuilding their lives a year after disaster. Lindsay Diaz and her baby rode out the Dec. 26 tornado in a bathtub. Three months later, she was set to rebuild when her house was mistakenly demolished by a wrecking crew. Diaz had hoped to be back home by now. Instead, she’s wondering what the future holds, a year later. [KERA News]
- KERA’s daily interview program, “Think” is going statewide! This January, “Think” with host Krys Boyd is expanding to Texas’ largest metropolitan areas, including Houston, Austin and San Antonio. North Texas audiences will still enjoy two hours of “Think” from noon to 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and an extra hour will be added on Fridays at 1 p.m. Until then, vote for your favorite episode to help determine which shows you’ll hear the week of Dec. 26-29. Be sure to cast your ballot soon — voting ends Friday. [KERA]