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Texas School Cupcakes Get Amnesty, Thanks To New Agriculture Commissioner

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Five stories that have North Texas talking: It’s time for the Texas Legislature to get down to business; Texas’ new ag commissioner says cupcakes are cool for school; a North Texas author’s book is a step closer to becoming a movie; and more.

Texas’ new agriculture commissioner has granted amnesty to … cupcakes in school. The Texas Tribune reports: “In his first official act as commissioner, [Sid] Miller granted full amnesty to cupcakes. Cakes, pies, and brownies made the list, too. Miller was seeking to reassure Texas parents that it's legal to bring cupcakes and other treats to school — and that he'll protect that right. ‘This is not about force-feeding cupcakes to our children,’ the commissioner said, standing next to a table of cupcakes. ‘It is about local control.’ … Miller reminded Texans that the statewide rules that once banned cupcakes and other junk food from classrooms were repealed last July.” The policy was put in place in 2004 and repealed last year. But Miller wants to make sure Texans far and wide know it’s OK to bring the tasty treats into schools.

  • The 84th Texas Legislature starts today in Austin. On Monday, the state comptroller released his budget forecast – and things are looking pretty good. Lawmakers will have $113 billion to spend -- that's about $10 billion more than the current Texas budget. But Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar warned that plunging oil prices is casting uncertainty – and has “dampened” the economic forecast. Still, he says, the Texas economy is much more diversified now, which will help. Read more on the budget forecast here. [KERA/Associated Press/Texas Tribune]

  • The Bucks beat the Ducks. Ohio State crushed Oregon 42-20 in the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship Monday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. ESPN reports: “Ohio State began the first major college football playoff as the fourth and final seed, and was an underdog against both top-seeded Alabama and second-seeded Oregon. Plenty of people thought TCU or Baylor should have had the Buckeyes' spot. No question about it now: Ohio State is the truest champion big-time football has ever crowned, showered by golden confetti as its band played the school's unofficial anthem, ‘Hang on Sloopy,’ after the clock hit 0:00.”

  • North Texas has witnessed at least 17 earthquakes over the past week. Most of them have been in the Irving area, near the old Texas Stadium site. At 1 p.m. on “Think,” host Krys Boyd will talk about what might be causing the quakes – and whether we should be worried – with SMU seismologists Dr. Brian Stump and Dr. Heather DeShon. That’s on KERA 90.1 FM or listen live online.

  • A North Texas author’s book about a Grayson County man who transformed gambling is one step closer to becoming a movie. Deadline.com reports: “Relativity has acquired screen rights to Blood Aces: The Wild Ride Of Benny Binion and has set Cliff Dorfman to adapt the Doug Swanson book. … Binion’s résumé reads like this: cowboy, pioneering casino owner, gangster, killer and founder of the World Series of Poker. The book chronicles his role in shaping modern Las Vegas. From a Texas backwater, Binion rose to prominence on a combination of vision, determination and brutal expediency.” Swanson, a reporter at The Dallas Morning News, appeared on KERA’s “Think” last year to discuss his book – listen to that conversation here.
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.