Five stories that have North Texas talking: It’s the last day to vote early in Texas; Dallas author Ben Fountain gets a film adaptation for “Billy Lynn”; the Texas Book Festival is taking over the Capitol; and more.
About 100 people gathered in Austin Thursday to demand Kelcy Warren’s resignation from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, The Associated Press reports. In addition to being CEO of Energy Transfer Partners — the Dallas-based company behind the Dakota Access and Trans-Pecos pipelines — Warren servesas a commissioner for Texas parks and wildlife. Members of the state Sierra Club and the Society of Native Nations attended Thursday's commission meeting. Warren was appointed to the commission by Gov. Greg Abbott last year.
Protesters and police are still clashing near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation where the 1,172-mile, $3.8 billion pipeline would cut through to carry oil from North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois. American Indians and others have protested the project for months because it could contaminate their water supply, and they've also said the pipeline route would disrupt ancestral lands.[AP, NPR]
Watch Facebook live video from Thursday's meeting:
- It’s the last day of early voting in Texas, folks. A record-number of voters — more than 2.1 million — turned out in the first week of early voting, and numbers have continued to climb, the Texas Tribune reports. If you haven’t already voted, here’s a guide to learn where to go and what voter identification to bring with you. And, if you experience any problems at the polls, you can tell us at KERA. Just text TXDECIDES to to 69866. Happy voting! [KERA News, Texas Tribune]
- Speaking of early voting, there are seven states that allow someone to change his/her vote. But Texas isn’t one of them. Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are more forgiving when it comes to “buyers remorse” this election. But even so, the conditions to change an early vote vary from state to state. CNN reports in most of those states, a person having second thoughts would have to show up on Election Day to a polling location to re-vote in person and that ballot would nullify their previous one. Learn more. [KERA News]
- Best-selling author Ben Fountain tells Art&Seek he wouldn’t wish his career path on anybody. For his critically acclaimed debut novel, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” Fountain won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a National Book Award finalist, and now, director Ang Lee has adapted it into a film. But it took Fountain until he reached his 50s to write it. “Now you know, when I read from it, out in public, and I look at certain passages, I think, ‘Yeah, that’s all right. That’s all right.’” Learn about Fountain’s path since “Billy Lynn” was published four years ago. [Art&Seek]
- Speaking of Texas authors, the annual Texas Book Festival is happening this weekend in Austin. More than 280 authors from Texas and abroad are coming to the State Capital and venues around Austin for book readings, signing and discussions. And, it’s all free. Here’s a look at the schedule, the map and parking situation and a collection of Texas Standard and KUT interviews with some of this year's featured authors. [Texas Book Festival, Texas Standard, KUT]
