News for North Texas
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

D-FW Native, Olympic Swimmer Wins Silver, Bronze Months After Becoming A New Mom

Dana Vollmer
/
Twitter
Granbury's Dana Vollmer won the bronze medal for the 100-meter fly Sunday night in Rio.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: A Granbury-raised Olympian claimed two medals for the U.S. over the weekend; a DART officer wounded in the Dallas ambush received an honorary black belt; The New York Times discovered Topo Chico; and more.

Dana Vollmer, a native of Granbury, Texas brought home two medals for the U.S. over the weekend in Rio. The 28-year-old won bronze for the much-anticipated 100-meter butterfly Sunday night during her third Olympics. Vollmer won gold in both the 2012 London games and in Athens in 2004. And, she was the youngest swimmer competing at the 2000 Olympic trials at age 12.

On Saturday, Vollmer swam the third leg of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, helping the U.S. women’s swimming team win silver and smash a national record. Adding to her feat: She gave birth to her son, Arlen, in March 2015, and she was training for her Rio run five months later. Watch NBC’s video on how Vollmer’s Olympic goals changed with motherhood. [NBC]

  • A DART officer wounded during the Dallas police shooting was awarded an honorary black belt. Misty McBride was shot once in the arm and again in the abdomen when helping bystanders escape the ambush on July 7 in downtown Dallas. The American Taekwondo Association wanted to recognize McBride’s bravery, considering her daughter has trained with ATA academy in Rowlett for years NBC5 reported. On Saturday, McBride was invited to an ATA tournament in Allen to receive a first-degree black belt “for going above and beyond the call of duty.” [NBC5]

  • Actor Denzel Washington popped by The Dallas Cowboys training Saturday. Washington even gave the players an inspirational speech after practice, quasi-reprising his role as Herman Boone in “Remember The Titans.” Wide receiver Brice Butler told Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “He sounded like it right there when he was talking to us. It was cool. I mean, that was tight.” And, it wasn’t even the first time. Both loyal Cowboys fans, the A-list actor and his son, John David visited training last season, too. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]

  • The New York Times is a little late to the Topo Chico game. And Texans have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, the Mexico-bottled mineral water is well worth The Times’ attention. On the other, a story about Texans loving Topo Chico isn’t groundbreaking, The Dallas Morning News says. In fact, Topo Chico entering the mainstream isn’t even a new thing — Texas Standard covered that. Finally, can we trust The Times credibility on the matter, given the peas-in-guac controversy of 2015? Per usual, people took to Twitter to weigh in/air their grievances. [The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, Texas Standard]

  • More than 70 snakes were found in a deceased man’s home in Fort Worth Saturday night. The non-venomous snakes were all in secure carriers when the police discovered them. The friend who called the police said the 66-year-old victim had health issues, and police believe he died of natural causes, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram. On social media, the deceased person had described himself as a retired employee of the Fort Worth Zoo, but his name has not been released, The Dallas Morning News reported. Animal control arrived on the scene, but family members took possession of the snakes. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Morning News]