Five stories that have North Texas talking: Blue Bell is resuming ice cream production; a hippie commune sues over a raid; the greatest Texas songs; and more.
A dog that went missing in Texas last week is back with her family after being found nearly 900 miles away in Florida. Matt Turner tells First Coast News that his 11-month-old miniature Australian Shepherd, Bell, went missing from their home north of Houston. After days of posting her picture on social media and hanging flyers, Turner learned that Bell was at the Clay Humane Society in Orange Park, Florida. Bell had been fitted with a microchip, which helped the humane society track down her Texas vet, who then contacted Turner. Humane society workers said Bell was in good shape and that they assume someone gave her a ride at some point. Turner and his son flew to Florida on Monday to retrieve the dog. [Associated Press]
- Blue Bell trucks are back on the road. The Brenham-based company released a video showing a truck heading out -- filled with something sweet. “Our trucks are on the road again," the company said. "And yes, they are filled with Blue Bell Ice Cream! We’ll let you know soon when and where you can find our products in stores.” The news comes as Blue Bell is resuming ice cream production at an Alabama plant after state health officials gave the company the OK. Plants were contaminated with listeria, prompting the ice cream to be pulled from store shelves. Learn more here. Watch the video:
- A hippie commune has sued the city of Arlington over a SWAT raid. The Houston Chronicle reports: “At the Garden of Eden, on the outskirts of Arlington, residents live with minimal electricity, drink from a well, use composting outhouses, grow all of their food and spend most of their time farming their almost four-acre plot. The lawsuit, filed last month in a federal court, alleges Arlington Police failed to establish probable cause before cutting the lock on the Garden's gate and forcibly detaining the residents for a full day.” Commune members say the raid violated their Fourth Amendment protections. [Houston Chronicle]
- What are the five greatest Texas songs of all time? Texas Standard, the statewide radio news magazine, explored some Texas tunes on Tuesday’s program. Laurie Gallardo of KUTX named her top five: Luckenbach Texas by Waylon Jennings; Amarillo By Morning by George Strait; El Paso by Marty Robbins; London Homesick Blues by Gary P Nunn and Jerry Jeff Walker; and Galveston by Glen Campbell. Listen to the conversation – and the songs – here.
- Remember all the flooding North Texas saw last spring? National Geographic has posted this video of a strange-looking prehistoric fish that got caught up in a fence near the Trinity River in Dallas. National Geographic reports: “In the high flood waters juvenile longnose gar (two to three feet long) swam past chain-link fences and onto flooded fields. Many never made it back to the river, perhaps because they couldn’t find the way they came in or because they were too full from feeding in the flooded fields. Regardless, these ‘living fossils,’ which have remained virtually unchanged for about a hundred million years, serve as a reminder that even large, modern cities like Dallas have an ancient wild side. Watch the video:
[h/t KERA’s Molly Evans]
