Five stories that have North Texas talking: Tarrant County will decide what do with Ethan Couch; Fort Worth Symphony members avoid pay cuts; historic preservation prevails over a cable company; a North Texas actor discuss his role in “The Revenant”; and more.
In a study on best and worst cities for an active lifestyle, Texas towns are included 13 times. The lower the number, the better the ranking — Scottsdale, Arizona took the No. 1 spot. Texas didn’t show up on the list until the No. 45 spot —Plano. And you can find the rest of the state at the very bottom. In short, Texans take a “cheat day” very seriously.
Here’s how WalletHub yielded the results:
“WalletHub’s analysts compared the 100 most populated cities based on 24 key metrics to identify those that help their residents stick to their health goals. Our data set ranges from the average monthly fitness club fee to the number of sports clubs per capita.”
The study shows that some Texas cities have fewer swimming pools, basketball hoops, fitness centers and tennis courts than other healthier cities, contributing to the state’s low level of activity.
Here are the North Texas rankings:
- 45-Plano
- 84-Dallas
- 85-Garland
- 88-Arlington
- 94-Fort Worth
- 99-Irving
Source: WalletHub
- Ethan Couch faces a detention hearing in Fort Worth today. The 18-year-old Fort Worthian, who used “affluenza” in defense of killing four people while driving drunk two years ago, was deported from Mexico and returned home Thursday morning. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported: “Couch will remain at the juvenile detention center until he has a detention hearing, which is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday. A judge will decide whether to keep Couch in juvenile custody, send him to the Tarrant County Jail, or release him under conditions.” See the Star-Telegram’s story map of Ethan Couch’s apprehension or his timeline from the very beginning in 2013. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, KERA News]
- A rare occurrence: Dallas chose not to destroy a historic building, but rather, move it. Time Warner Cable was prepared to bulldoze a 1885 Victorian home in The Cedars. The Dallas Morning News reported: “[The house] had been stripped and gutted, and an excavator was parked on the front lawn at 1438 Griffin Street West ready to smash it out of existence.Time Warner said it needed to demolish the house to expand its tiny hub site that sits next door.” Local preservationists, however, began talking with Time Warner about initiating historic designation status, which, if it went through, would burden the company with a house they didn’t want to keep, so Time Warner compromised to move it nearby. Read more. [Dallas Morning News]
An EXTRAORDINARY turn of events: @TWC will pay to move, not raze, 1885 home in The Cedars https://t.co/uGoTU5xEtJ pic.twitter.com/WRcC7df6bZ
— Robert Wilonsky (@RobertWilonsky) January 28, 2016
- A North Texan stars in the Oscar-nominated film, “The Revenant.” KERA’s Stephen Becker and The Dallas Morning News’ culture critic, Chris Vognar talked with Colleyville actor Arthur Redcloud. In the film, Redcloud’s character saves Leonardo DiCaprio’s life. He landed the major role from an open audition. Listen to Redcloud’s experience on set. [The Big Screen]
See Redcloud at 1:57 in the trailer:
- Fort Worth Symphony members won’t face pay cuts, for now. Last Friday, musicians rejected management’s new contract that came with an 8.5 percent wage decrease that would have been implemented Monday. Art&Seek reported: “The two sides have been negotiating since June. Management has said the musicians’ requests for a raise are unreasonable – and they could eventually force the symphony out of business.” Members didn’t see it that way and voted earlier last week to authorize a strike. However, musicians will meet to discuss possible re-negotiations, Art&Seek reported Thursday, after cuts were not enforced. [Art&Seek]
