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Texans Aren’t As Happy As Folks In Utah, Minnesota And Hawaii

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Five stories that have North Texas talking: survey examines Texas and happiness; the Cowboys’ Tony Romo got hurt during Sunday’s game; celebrating gay pride in North Texas; and more.

Texans aren’t the happiest in the country – but they aren’t miserable either. That’s according to a new survey that examines the most and least happy states. Texas is ranked No. 20 on the list – basically middle of the road. “With research proving that money can contribute to happiness up to a certain dollar amount, the personal finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2015’s Most and Least Happy States in America,” WalletHub says. “To find the states that are home to the happiest Americans, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key metrics. Our data set ranges from emotional health to income levels to sports participation rates.” Texas ranked No. 26 for “emotional and physical well-being” and No. 19 for “community, environmental and recreational activities.” Texas did well in the “work environment” category, coming in at No. 10. Utah is the happiest state in the country. Minnesota is No. 2 and Hawaii is No. 3. West Virginia is the least happy state. Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama round out the bottom five. Explore the report here.

Source: WalletHub

 

  • The Dallas Cowboys won Sunday’s game – but quarterback Tony Romo is out with a broken collarbone. ESPN reports: “The sensations he had lying on Lincoln Financial Field were the same he felt in 2010, when he suffered the same injury at AT&T Stadium. Romo suffered the latest injury in the third quarter of Sunday's 20-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. He is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks based on preliminary indications, according to a source.” [ESPN]


  • Thousands celebrated gay pride in Dallas on Sunday. The Dallas Morning News reports it was “Dallas’ first pride festival since the Supreme Court recognized a constitutional right to gay marriage in June. … The parade drew only a few protesters near the end of its route at Reverchon Park. There, to drown them out, members of Northaven United Methodist Church launched into a rendition of ‘Jesus Loves Me’ — on kazoos.” [The Dallas Morning News]

  • North Texas Muslims are uniting behind Ahmed Mohamed. He's the Irving teen who attracted international attention after he was arrested last week for making a clock that was mistaken for a bomb. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: “Saima Sheikh, a member of the Dallas chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and spokeswoman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, said the arrest was shocking. ‘We don’t want to discourage children who are intelligent like that,’ she said. Imam Moujahed M. Bakhach of the Mediation Institute of North Texas said the incident was ‘absolutely, in every aspect, racism.’ A student with Mohamed’s ability should have been embraced and mentored instead of marginalized, Bakhach said." [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]

  • The Fort Worth police chief finalist could be named next week. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: “City manager [David Cooke] started looking for a replacement in January, when Jeffrey Halstead stepped down. … Cooke was patient, though, and after narrowing the field to six finalists and having a community forum with the finalists last week, he said he could be nearing a decision by the end of the month. … Cooke, who as city manager presents his selection to the City Council, doesn’t plan to publicly narrow the field again. He tentatively targeted the council's next meeting on Sept. 29 as a potential date for naming the new chief.” KERA’s Christopher Connelly recently reported on the six police chief finalists. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]

Photo: patrice6000/Shutterstock.com

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.