The top local stories this morning from KERA News:
There's been a sharp increase this year in Texas students arrested for threatening violence, according to a new report. Data from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department showed more than 1, 200 arrests from January through May for terroristic threats.
The data is compared to the 473 arrests during the same period last year. The offense doesn't require possessing a firearm, and the report says most of the students accused did not have one.
The report from the social justice advocacy group, Texas Appleseed, and other organizations suggests many schools are not distinguishing between students who pose a threat and those who don't.
Other stories this morning:
- Fort Worth officials have picked a new fire chief after a five month search. The mayor and city manager will introduce Jim Davis at a press conference on Wednesday. A former assistant fire chief in Columbus, Ohio, Davis will take over the Fort Worth department later this summer as the city's 13th fire chief.
- Dallas Wings center Elizabeth Cambage scored the most points in a WNBA game on Tuesday. Cambage scored 53 points, breaking the previous record of 51 points, set in 2013. The Wings went on to win 104-87 over the New York Liberty.
- With Starbucks and other retailers saying they'll eliminate plastic straws, experts are facing the question of how much impact plastic has on our environment, and on modern life. As part of our breakthroughs series, charting the cutting edge of health, science, and technology, Bruce Novak, a chemistry professor at UT Dallas, talks with KERA's Justin Martin about the science of plastic.
You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.
