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High-Speed Rail Could Expand To Other Parts Of Texas

Gerald O'Sullivan
/
Flickr
A Shinkansen bullet train in Japan, which can hit speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Bullet trains may connect other parts of Texas besides that Dallas-to-Houston line, another confirmed case of human Chikungunya in North Texas, confessions from Texas Monthly’s BBQ editor, and more.

High-speed rail proponents are hoping to expand beyond the proposed Dallas-to-Houston bullet train, the Dallas Business Journal and the Star-Telegram reports. Cities that could be served by high-speed rail now include Bryan-College Station, an area bypassed by the interstate highway system.

Yesterday, the Commission for High-Speed Rail also agreed to seek federal funding to study a Fort Worth-Austin connection. A connection from Fort Worth to Dallas is expected to cost anywhere from $2.5 to 4 billion and would likely require federal funding. That would be separate from the train connecting Dallas to Houston, which will be privately funded by Central Texas Railway and may become reality by 2021.

  • There has been a second confirmed case of the Chikungunya virus in Tarrant County. Yesterday, Dallas County confirmed their second human case of the mosquito-borne virus in the 75124 zipcode. Now, a Fort Worth resident has also contracted the virus when the person recently visited Puerto Rico, the Star-Telegram reports. The resident’s infectious period ended Aug. 17. Chikungunya is spread through mosquitos, specifically the Aedes mosquito, which are prevalent during the day. Health officials warn to take precautions against mosquitos, including wearing long sleeves and strong insect repellent.

  • Texas Monthly BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn may have the coolest job on the planet: he gets to eat barbeque and write about it. He reveals in Texas Monthly that he (understandably) gets a lot of questions about his cholesterol. Vaughn says he takes statins and his cholesterol has never been above 200. He also says after a long trip, he craves broccoli.

  • Neighborhood developers can have a sense of humor. Central Track explored some clever street name clusters in North Texas neighborhoods. For example, there’s a cluster of Star Trek-inspired street names in Garland, and “the Disney streets” located in the Midway Hills neighborhood of Dallas. How cool would it be to live on Star Trek Lane?

  • The Dallas Opera has been doing simulcasts of its shows for some time now. There have been debates over whether they actually reach a younger audience, but now the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will be jumping on board. The DSO will host its first simulcast at Klyde Warren Park on Sept. 13. The AT&T Gala will stream from the Meyerson Symphony Center beginning at 8:45 p.m., followed by a fireworks display. [CultureMap Dallas]
Former KERA staffer Krystina Martinez was an assistant producer. She produced local content for Morning Edition and KERANews.org. She also produced The Friday Conversation, a weekly series of conversations with North Texas newsmakers. Krystina was also the backup newscaster for the Texas Standard.