Five stories that have North Texas talking: Mayor Rawlings on The Takeaway, support for a new anti-abortion bill, reverse graffiti and more.
Dallas is one of only three major cities in the U.S. to have officially recovered from the Great Recession, according to a study by the Brookings Institution. Mayor Mike Rawlings talked to John Hockenberry of The Takeaway today about what saved Dallas. Teaser: it isn’t oil. It’s the strength of our tech economy, among other things.
“What’s happening with everybody’s cell phone, and what it’s turning into, we see that as a big growth opportunity for us,” Rawlings said.
Hear the full interview on KERA 90.1 at 11 a.m. or stream it here.
- Advocates from the anti-abortion group Texas Right To Life are pushing a bill that would ban all abortions after 20 weeks because they believe a fetus at that stage in development can feel pain. The Texas Alliance For Life, which is our state’s other large pro-life organization, hasn’t taken a position to support it. [Unfair Park]
- Dallas police and city leaders have tried to control graffiti by redirecting street artists tocity-sponsored competitions as part of the Graffiti Arts Project. But what happens when internationally renowned street artists are given the freedom to dress the sides of prominent buildings in color and meaning? In Atlanta’s case, a sort of reverse defacing by retired legislators with paint rollers. Writer Jenni Jarvie looks at the struggles and triumphs of Living Walls, a nonprofit in Atlanta that links street artists to urban planners. [Atlantic Cities]
- So the Twinkie got its due attention -- for better or worse -- when Irving-based Hostess Brands announced it would close up shop and sell its assets. But just when we thought this discussion had been shelved, Terrell-born Jamie Foxx shows up on SNL’s Weekend Update as a Ding-Dong with a vengeance and a tell-all. [HT Frontburner]
- Some North Texans know Sarah Jaffe beyond her tightly-coifed rising stardom. The Kirtland Records signee, reared in Red Oak, used to tend bar at Dan’s Silverleaf in Denton, and has been known to say what’s up to her dad while performing on the stage of that same venue. So fans and friends are cheering their hometown girl’s late-night TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight on the roof of Sundown at the Granada. [Granada Theater]
