LAUGH IT UP: North Texas has a handful of full-time comedy venues – Hyenas, the Addison Improv, Backdoor Comedy. And it’s got a lot of would-be comedians competiting for those prime spots, as well as the many open-mic nights that pop up around town. That got Eric Griffey thinking about what it would take to become a comedian – one who actually makes a living doing comedy. He talks to a slew of local comedians about his quest and writes about his first trip to the stage on dfw.com.

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES: Last night’s storms were pretty rough, but they were nothing compared to April 3, when tornadoes rolled through the area. Arlington was one of the hardest hit cities, with many residents suffering damage to homes. Some of those people also lost items that are more difficult to replace – family photos and other keepsakes. But thanks to an enterprising teenager and the Arlington Public Library, some residents are reconnecting with those items. “I know everyone says, ‘We’re going to get these digitized and keep them on a disc,'” library services manager Debi Wood tells dallasnews.com. “But most of them don’t get around to doing that. These old photos are hard to replace.”

HEALING AND ART: Each year, Business Council for Arts puts together a Leadership Arts Institute made up of local business leaders interested in learning a little more about philanthropy. This year’s class developed a project to bring art to Parkland Hospital. The project, “Parkland pARTners: Advancing Healing through Art,” was recently completed, resulting in $50,000, which will pay for one piece of artwork for each patient room in a wing of the new Parkland Hospital. Nice, huh?