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No, JCPenney Wasn’t Drunk Tweeting During Super Bowl -- Stunt Generates Buzz, Confusion

JCPenney/Twitter
JCPenney generated a lot of buzz on social media during Sunday's Super Bowl.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: JCPenney generates a lot of buzz for its buzzed Tweets last night; Texans are heading to Colorado for marijuana; the West fertilizer blast will get more scrutiny; and more.  

Who cares about that football game last night – what was up with JCPenney’s Twitter messages during the Super Bowl? Plano-based JCPenney generated lots of social media buzz last night with its strange Tweets – although many were scratching their heads. JCPenney sent out some messages filled with typos, such as this:

Another Plano-based company, Pizza Hut, responded:

And Coors Light told Pizza Hut: “We know football goes great with Coors Light, but please tweet responsibly.” No, JCPenney wasn’t drunk. It explained itself:

JCPenney says it was a stunt to promote the Go USA mittens it’s selling – proceeds benefit the U.S. Olympics Committee. So JCPenney generated a lot of buzz last night. Will that buzz translate into a boost in sales for the struggling retailer?

  • Since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, Texans are heading to Denver for their Rocky Mountain high. The Dallas Morning News reports: “Not that they necessarily want it known. At dispensary DANK Colorado, a customer who’d driven in that day from Texas refused to give her name, saying she’d called in sick to her job in Coppell. … ‘We’ve had quite a few Texans come to Colorado to check out our new freedoms,’ said Peter Johnson of Colorado Green Tours, a travel outfit ‘serving cannabis enthusiasts from around the world.’” Polls show increasing support to legalize marijuana in Texas – KERA’s Lauren Silverman recently explored the state’s history with the drug. Meanwhile, NPR reports that marijuana-laced treats leave Colorado “jonesing for food-safety rules.”

  • The West fertilizer blast that killed 15 people will face more scrutiny over the next year from lawmakers who could strengthen state regulations surrounding chemical facility safety and inspections, according to a list of House priorities released Friday. Republican House Speaker Joe Straus also directed a review of first responders in rural areas dependent on volunteer units such as in West, where most of the victims who rushed toward the April 17 blast at West Fertilizer Co. were volunteer firefighters. More permitting for chemical facilities, however, won't likely come in the aftermath of one of the deadliest U.S. plant explosions in recent years. El Paso Democrat Joe Pickett, chairman of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, said his panel is instead focusing on giving more oversight authority to current agencies. [The Associated Press]

  • Wendy Davis might be generating all the buzz in the governor’s race, but her Republican opponent remains the favorite. But Greg Abbott, the Texas attorney general, remains unknown outside of Texas. NPR’s Alan Greenblatt writes about Abbott in Governing magazine, which covers politics and policy. “Name an issue—gun rights, abortion, same-sex marriage, taxes—and Abbott will assume a reliably conservative position. ‘Among the Republican grassroots, the deciders who determine GOP primary victors and victims, Greg Abbott enjoys near-Mount Rushmore adulation,’ says Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett. ... Abbott’s ability to speak both to mainstream and Tea Party Republicans, along with his formidable fundraising skills, make him the overwhelming favorite to win the March 4 primary. … ‘Abbott would have to make a colossal blunder to lose this race,’ says Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, a political scientist at the University of North Texas.”

Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.