Five stories that have North Texas talking: State park officials haven’t conducted research on the impact of Apache Corp.’s drilling on Balmorhea; American Airlines gives the all-clear after bacteria was found in D/FW hangars; George and Laura Bush will be buried in Texas; and more.
You can definitely eat beyond your fill in North Texas, but according to a WalletHub study, that doesn't mean you're eating well — getting the best quality of food for the price. Actually, the region is home to some of the worst cities for "foodies," according to the personal finance website. WalletHub surveyed the 150 largest U.S. cities, measuring affordability, accessibility and diversity of the local cuisine to determine the “best and cheapest foodie scenes.”
In D-FW, Garland and Grand Prairie ranked the poorest — No. 141 and No. 148, respectively. Only Moreno Valley, California and North Las Vegas did worse. Besides having limited accessibility to high-end restaurants and specialty shops (i.e. frozen yogurt, craft beer, avocado toast, etc.), Garland and Grand Prairie both had the lowest number of coffee shop among U.S. cities, too.
Here’s how other North Texas cities performed: Dallas, No. 78; Plano, No. 91; Fort Worth, No. 101; Irving, 111 and Arlington, No. 123. Here’s to home cooking. [WalletHub]
- State park officials haven’t conducted research regarding the impact of oil drilling on Balmorhea and its treasured springs. Houston-based Apache Corp. plans to drill oil and gas wells on 350,000 acres surrounding the pools following the discovery of a new oilfield called Alpine High, located north of the Davis Mountains, Houston Chronicle’s Fuel Fix reports. A spokeswoman for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said since the oil wells are lower than or equal in depth to the springs, the park should not be affected by drilling. [Fuel Fix]
- What’s the state of Dallas homelessness nearly six months after “Tent City” closed? KERA’s Stephanie Kuo, who’s been following the issue, says closing camps has alleviated the symptoms of homelessness but not the causes. Since May, Dallas has tried to tackle the lack of housing for the growing homeless population by building 50 cottages for the chronically homeless. And, the Dallas Commission on Homelessness in early August asked the city to help fund efforts to house 600 homeless people, including veterans, within a year. [KERA News]
- Former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush have decided where they’re going to be buried. According to the Austin American-Statesman, Bush 43 will (eventually) be the first U.S. president to be buried in the Texas State Cemetery. “Other options, it would seem, could have included his presidential library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas or his Crawford ranch or Midland, where he grew up.” Regardless of being born in Connecticut, Bush and his Midland-born wife “never want to leave the home state they love,” their spokesman said. [Austin American-Statesman]
- American Airlines says the bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease have been detected in water at four maintenance hangars at D/FW. In a letter to workers on Friday, the airlines said low levels of the Legionella bacteria were found in water from eight shower heads, plus some faucets and fountains, in the hangars at the airport. KXAS reported Monday that one worker showed symptoms of the disease but has recovered. Spokesman Matt Miller says the facilities are safe and the airline is working with local authorities to ensure a clean water supply. [AP]
