Five stories that have North Texas talking: another winter blast is approaching; Dallas chefs remember Tom Spicer, the produce expert; 1,000 cattle are on the loose; and more.
Winter is sticking around a bit longer. North Texas will be under a winter weather warning from 3 p.m. Wednesday through noon Thursday. For some areas northwest of Dallas-Fort Worth, the warning starts a bit earlier -- noon Wednesday. Expect moderate to heavy sleet with some freezing rain and snow. (In other words, a bit of everything!) We could get up to a quarter-inch of ice – and up to three inches of sleet and snow, the National Weather Service says. (Areas northwest of Dallas-Fort Worth could get up to four inches of sleet and snow.) Temperatures will fall below freezing by Wednesday evening. We’ll dip into the mid-20s overnight. The weather service is calling this a “significant episode of wintry mix.”
Here’s a video update from the weather service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Inv6cMUvl4k
- Scores of people showed up at Grapevine City Hall Tuesday night to protest a shooting. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: More than 200 people chanted “Hands up, don’t shoot!” They protested the February shooting of a Mexican national by a Grapevine police officer. “Ruben García Villalpando, 31, of North Richland Hills was shot to death by Grapevine police officer Robert Clark after a brief pursuit that ended on the shoulder of a Texas 121 service road in Euless. Grapevine police said Clark shot García in the chest twice on Feb. 20 after he got out of his vehicle with his hands up and continued to walk toward Clark even though he was ‘repeatedly told to stop.’ … The Mexican government condemned Grapevine police for the shooting, which is being investigated by Euless police. Earlier Tuesday, Grapevine officials sent a letter to city residents, asking the public to withhold judgment in the shooting.” [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]
- Across Dallas, chefs and restaurateurs are remembering Tom Spicer, the beloved produce expert. KERA’s Doualy Xaykaothao reports: “Before farm to table became popular, the Spiceman, as he was called, was the go-to gardener for the freshest produce. Mark Wooton, owner of the GardenCafé in Dallas, says even Spicer's greens and mushrooms had more character. … ‘He absolutely respected everything that he grew and acquired,’ Wooton said. Listen to Doualy’s report here.
- George W. Bush will deliver the SMU commencement address this spring. The former president gave an SMU commencement speech at SMU in 1999, back when he was governor. Bush’s presidential library is at SMU. His wife, Laura, is an SMU alumna and is a member of the SMU Board of Trustees. “This Commencement is especially noteworthy because 2015 is the 100-year anniversary of SMU’s opening,” SMU President R. Gerald Turner said in a statement. The 2015 commencement is May 16.
- Officials are investigating how 1,121 cattle went missing from a dairy facility in the northeast Texas Panhandle. The Amarillo Globe-News reports the steer calves were discovered missing during an annual inventory by Braum's Dairy. The cattle were taken from Braum's 24,000 acre facility near Follett, located about 150 miles northeast of Amarillo. Laramie Adams, a spokesman for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, which is investigating the disappearance, says it's unclear when the calves, valued at about $1.4 million, were taken. Adams says the investigation has been made more difficult because Braum's doesn't have photos of the animals and the calves weren't branded. A reward of $10,000 is being offered. [Associated Press]
