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Top Stories: North Texas Population Bursts; Lawmakers Discuss State Of School Funding

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The top local stories this evening from KERA News:

Dallas-Fort Worth has had the largest population growth of any metro area in the country from 2016 to 2017, according to new population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Despite the local expansion, Texas State demographer Lloyd Potter says the state’s not growing everywhere, especially rural areas.

“We had about a 100 counties that lost population,” Potter said. “So there are people moving from other parts of the state to these more urbanized and suburban areas and they’re doing that because of economic opportunity.”

Potter thinks Dallas County, and other urban counties, are seeing significant growth from international migration.

Other stories this evening:  

  • Texas lawmakers have been battling for years over how to fund the state’s public schools, and where that money should come from. It was a point of debate at an event in Fort Worth today put on by the Texas Tribune. Over the years, the state’s share of public school funding has dropped, while the share from local tax dollars has gone up.

  • When it comes to work, most of us just go along with the flow to get along with our coworkers. In order for there to be any progress, though, psychologist Charlan Nemeth argues you need people who challenge the status quo. Today on Think, she talked with Krys Boyd about the dangers of always siding with the majority.

  • Each act of gun violence that makes the news sparks a conversation about stopping the next one.  Cry Havoc – a teen theater company in Dallas – wants to be part of that discussion. In this week’s Artist Spotlight, Art&Seek’s Hady Mawajdeh follows the teens to the East Coast as they connect with politicians trying to fix the problem, and survivors who've suffered its impact.

You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.

    Gus Contreras is a digital producer and reporter at KERA News. Gus produces the local All Things Considered segment and reports on a variety of topics from, sports to immigration. He was an intern and production assistant for All Things Considered in Washington D.C.