Five stories that have North Texas talking: the DISD superintendent’s future is in doubt; a Little Free Library poses a code issue; Texas’ uninsured rate is falling; and more.
The widow of "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle says in her new book that her stance on the death penalty was among things she struggled with after he was killed in 2013. "American Wife" by Taya Kyle will be published next week by William Morrow. The Associated Press purchased an early copy. Kyle writes about her life with the famed Navy SEAL sniper and coping after he was fatally shot by ex-Marine Eddie Ray Routh at a Texas gun range. She said while she believes in the death penalty, she has "come around to the view that life without parole" may be worse. She concluded she would be fine with either the death penalty or life in prison. "That was as far as I could go toward forgiveness," she wrote. The prosecutor didn't seek capital punishment for Routh, convicted in February in the deaths of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield. He was sentenced to life in prison. [Associated Press]
- Today at 4 p.m., Dallas school board members will meet to decide the future of superintendent Mike Miles. KERA’s Bill Zeeble reports: “Friday’s decision - eight days before an election that could reshape the board - may be the last chance for Miles' opponents to oust him. Observers say this time around, Miles really could be at risk.” Three school board members sued to have the meeting today – it had been scheduled for after the May 9 school board election. Read more here.
- An insurance group says last weekend's storms across north and central parts of Texas have caused at least $65 million in damage to vehicles. The Insurance Council of Texas reported Thursday that damage estimates for homes and businesses are still being compiled. A statement from the Austin-based industry group says four Texas storms in the past two weeks are blamed for about 60,000 auto insurance claims. The National Weather Service says at 11 tornadoes touched down southwest of Fort Worth late Sunday. Nobody was hurt. Those storms included hail, heavy rain and flash flooding that swamped some roads and prompted several high-water rescues. Other storms happened west of Austin and north of Houston on April 18, near Amarillo on April 22 and west of San Antonio last Saturday. [Associated Press]
- Texas’ uninsured rate is falling. The Texas Tribune reports: The rate of Texans without health insurance has fallen 8 percentage points since enrollment in the federal Affordable Care Act began, according to a new study. Texas’ sky-high rate of adults without health coverage — previously about 25 percent, the highest rate in the nation — was down to 17 percent in March, according to a report from the Episcopal Health Foundation and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. But Texas remains the state with the highest percentage of uninsured people, the study found, and for the first time, the state has the largest raw number of uninsured residents in the country.” [Texas Tribune]
- A Little Free Library has become a code violation in Lake Highlands. Advocate Magazine reports: “L Streets North resident Stacy Holmes had yet to place the finishing touches on her family’s Little Free Library when she received the notice from Dallas City Code Enforcement. The structure is a code violation, it read, and she needs to remove it.” City spokeswoman Sana Syed told The Dallas Morning News: “It’s adorable … but the issue is that it violates code. Had somebody not complained, we probably never would have known about it.” [Advocate Magazine/The Dallas Morning News]
