Five stories that have North Texas talking: Houston is cooler than Dallas?; the Texas Railroad Commission approves proposed stricter rules for oil and gas drillers; the search is on for the killer of a pet buffalo; and more.
Learn how to build a timeless house in the modern era. Brent Hull, the owner and president of Hull Historical, will give a free presentation at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the American Institute of Architects in Fort Worth. The AIA says: “Brent is the author of three books, Traditional American Rooms – celebrating style, craftsmanship and historic millwork; Historic Millwork – a guide to restoring and recreating doors, windows and moldings; and his most recent, Building a Timeless House in an Instant Age, written to help builders and homeowners build authentic and beautiful houses.”
Dallas is pretty cool, but not as cool as Austin or Houston. That’s according to Forbes Magazine, which recently released its list of America’s Coolest Cities. Austin ranks No. 3, while Houston came in fourth place. Dallas is ranked No. 10. San Antonio ranked No. 15. Washington, D.C., was named the coolest city. Seattle was No. 2. So, how does one come up with a list of cool cities? Forbes says it worked with Sperling’s BestPlaces to rank the 60 largest metro areas “based on six data points we weighted evenly.” They factored in entertainment options, local restaurants and population growth. They also considered a city’s “cultural make-up” and measured “the likelihood of meeting someone of a different race or ethnicity.” While Dallas scored quite high on the arts and culture index, it scored lower than Houston on recreation, diversity and local eats. Austin performed well in the net migration category, indicating lots of new people have flocked to the state’s capital in recent years.
The Texas Railroad Commission on Tuesday approved proposed stricter rules for oil and gas drillers. The rules would require drillers to provide more information before placing injection wells in areas where earthquakes have been recorded, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Some point to the disposal of drilling wastewater used in fracking to the recent earthquake swarm in North Texas. “If the commission votes for final approval, drillers seeking a permit would be required to provide information on the history of seismic events as recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey,” the Star-Telegram reports. “The proposal would also allow the commission to suspend or terminate a permit if seismic activity occurs near an injection well.” Read more of KERA’s earthquake coverage.
A pet buffalo was killed in Palo Pinto County – and a reward is being offered leading to the arrest of the killer. Her name was Precious. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: “Precious, a Plains buffalo, died of multiple gunshot wounds. Mineral Wells Police Chief Dean Sullivan said she was last seen alive on July 21.” She was found dead near a barn. A $5,000 reward is being offered. The reward fund is at First Financial Bank in Mineral Wells. Donations can be made at the bank under the Donald Gene Ender Special Account, the Star-Telegram reports.
The Texas Medical Center is looking at ways to prevent the Ebola virus. Among the possibilities: something called a reverse quarantine. The Texas Tribune reports that the Houston hospital complex is home to more than 50 health care institutions and considered the world’s largest medical district. “Hospital executives are looking for ways to keep Ebola’s dangers out of their hospital,” The Tribune reports. “The medical center attracts medical talent from around the world, including those who work or have relatives in areas affected by the outbreak, which has so far killed more than 900 people.” In a reverse quarantine, workers who could have been exposed to Ebola would be asked to stay at home for a certain amount of time to avoid spreading the deadly virus.
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