Five stories that have North Texas talking: more on the Irving-area earthquakes; a wintry mix is on the way for some areas; Dallas Cowboys’ Jethro Pugh dies; and more.
It was cold overnight and super-duper cold this morning – only in the teens. Wind chills were 10 to 15 degrees overnight. Temperatures will warm into the mid-30s later today. Overnight temperatures in Dallas-Fort Worth should dip into the upper 20s (warmer than last night.) But light wintry precipitation is in the forecast for parts of North Texas. Tonight, for areas south of Dallas-Fort Worth, there’s a slight chance of a mix of freezing rain, light sleet and light snow, the National Weather Service says. Towns affected include Hillsboro, Stephenville, Palestine and Waco. Significant accumulations aren’t expected, the weather service says.
Here's a look at weather conditions tonight from the weather service:
- Jethro Pugh, a defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960s and ‘70s, died Wednesday. He was 70. The Associated Press reports: “The team said Pugh died of natural causes four days before the Cowboys were to play their first postseason game in Green Bay since the famous Ice Bowl in 1967. Pugh was blocked on Bart Starr's quarterback sneak for the game-winning touchdown in Dallas' 21-17 loss in the Ice Bowl that sent the Packers to the second Super Bowl.” [Associated Press/ESPN]
- Twelve earthquakes shook North Texas Tuesday and Wednesday. Seismologists are intensifying their focus on all of the rumbling and rattling near the old Texas Stadium site. Southern Methodist University says it will install 22 more seismographs in the Irving area. Learn more here.
- One of the most public faces of Dallas’ Ebola response is leaving his job. The Texas Tribune reports: “It's official: Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner David Lakey is leaving his job as the state's public health chief next month to take a new gig with the University of Texas System and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. The move comes as Gov. Rick Perry— who appointed Lakey — steps aside, and as lawmakers begin to consider consolidating the state's health agencies. Both could've meant big changes for Lakey.” [Texas Tribune]
- A federal judge has ruled as unconstitutional Texas laws regulating businesses that teach African hair braiding. The judge in Austin ruled the regulations do not advance public health and safety or any other legitimate government interest. The lawsuit was filed in 2013 by Isis Brantley, a Dallas woman who contended the laws related to her hair braiding school were unreasonable and unconstitutional. State rules required Brantley to convert her small business into a fully equipped barber college. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks on Monday ruled the regulations excluded Brantley from the market "absent 'a rational connection with...fitness or capacity to engage in' hair braiding instruction." [Associated Press]
