Five stories that have North Texas talking: Schedule a puppy playdate in Dallas; former Gov. Perry’s legal battle continues; a Facebook post lands a North Texas man in jail; and more.
Want to cuddle with a pup today? Dallas Animal Services is working with Uber today to deliver dogs on demand across the city. For $30, you get 15 minutes of “snuggle time” with a pup. Here’s how you get a puppy playdate:Open the Uber app on your smartphone between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and request the “puppies” option. If you want the dog longer, you can always adopt – the pups are up for adoption. Proceeds will go to the Dallas Companion Animal Project. Participants are asked to talk up their experiences on social media using the hashtag #UberPuppyBowl. Check out this Uber blog post for more details.
- A judge on Tuesday rejected former Gov. Rick Perry’s attempt to throw out a two-count indictment against him. The judge says it's too early in the case to challenge the constitutionality of the charges. The Texas Tribune reports: “Perry's attorneys immediately filed notice that they will appeal the ruling to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals; the appeals process could take months. … Perry was indicted on Aug. 15 over allegations he abused the power of his office by threatening to veto funding for the state’s public integrity unit unless Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, who had pleaded guilty to drunken driving, resigned.” [Texas Tribune]
- An owner of a Fort Worth mortuary business where decaying bodies were left unattended last summer has pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of illegally receiving federal benefits. Federal prosecutors say 35-year-old Rachel Hardy pleaded Tuesday to food stamp benefit fraud. She faces up to 20 years in prison. Authorities say she claimed on federal applications that she was a single parent with no income. But they say during that time she purchased three high-end vehicles, one of them a $53,000 Range Rover. Hardy at the time was an owner of two businesses. One of them, Johnson Family Mortuary, closed in July due to nonpayment of rent. Seven of the eight bodies found there were in advanced stages of decomposition. Hardy and her husband face several charges in that case. [Associated Press]
- NPR’s Michel Martin was in Dallas Tuesday to tackle football ethics. The special event, Offense or Defense?, took place at the Perot Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas. Catch up on the discussion here-- or go on Twitter and search for #NPRMichel – or look at @NPRMichel and @keranews for highlights. Michel talked with KERA before the event. The event featured Nate Jackson, former Denver Bronco and author of 'Slow Getting Up: A Story of NFL Survival From the Bottom of the Pile'; Melani Ismail, who was featured on VH1's Football Wives and is married to former Dallas Cowboys player Rocket Ismail; and Texas high school senior and star running back NahshonEllerbe, who plans to play football for Rice University.
- A Facebook post landed a North Texas man in jail. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: “File this one under the category of things best not posted on Facebook. A 22-year-old Mineral Wells man is behind bars after allegedly posting on his Facebook page that he had more than a dozen warrants out for his arrest. “So, I have 16 warrants out right now. Lol they know where I’m at tho so, it must not be TOO bad,” Eddie Smith’s Facebook page read on Jan. 20. That same day, a concerned citizen sent a Facebook message to the Mineral Wells Police Officers Association. Sure enough, investigators looked into the claim and found Smith was wanted on 14 city warrants.”
