Five stories that have North Texas talking: Houston women catalyze inquiry into advanced breast cancer, a SEAL brother remembers Chris Kyle in the NY Times, Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm in the hot seat and more.
There was something particularly odd about Rebecca Johnson's Houston book club, and it had nothing to do with mass market paperbacks. Johnson knew two other women in the group under 40 that had been diagnosed with breast cancer -- like she had, at only 27 years old. So Johnson, who's now a doctor in Seattle, did a national study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Turns out Dr. Johnson did have cause for alarm. Three times the number of women under 40 were diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, which is the kind that already spread to the bones or other organs, between 1976 and 2009, the study found. And the biggest spike was seen in women ages 25-34. Richard Knox reports on the findings for NPR.
This news comes as the "previvor" movement is growing. Women who know they have a chance for hereditary breast or ovarian cancer are opting for mastectomies or having their ovaries removed preventatively. KERA's Courtney Collins talked to some women who went to great lengths to beat their chances.
- Brandon Webb considered Navy SEAL Chris Kyle a brother. Webb has seen other friends die during a decade on SEAL teams, but Kyle's tragic death -- and his funeral at Cowboys Stadium -- affected him profoundly. He describes his trip to the Dallas service and then to Austin, where he wept with other SEALs attending the burial of his friend. [NY Times]
- The Dallas City Council didn't approve 22 acres of parkland for a gas drilling deal. But somehow City Manager Mary Suhm's signature made it to a lease document approving the land's inclusion. She's in the hot seat today at City Hall. [KERA's BJ Austin]
- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie accepted a Medicaid expansion for the state. Texas hospitals are pulling for Governor Rick Perry to follow in the Republican's footsteps and choose this optional part of the Affordable Care Act. An analyst with the Texas Hospital Association says Texas hospitals provide $5 billion a year in uncompensated care. [KUT in Austin]
- We know Texas is after California businesses. But who's after our economic producers? North Dakota is sniffing for investors in Texas and trying to lure companies that would be a good fit, but the state is significantly more subtle in its approach than Texas. (Surprise.) [State Impact]
