Five stories that have North Texas talking: what will happen to the beautiful downtown Fort Worth post office?; the Cedar Hill mayor reflects on his stepson鈥檚 death from addiction; get ready for "Downton Abbey," and more:
Azle residents sounded off Thursday night at a public meeting about the earthquake swarm 鈥� and they鈥檙e angry. There was booing and hooting. Residents complained about the ground shaking and damage to their homes as about 30 earthquakes have hit areas in and near Azle since November. There鈥檚 no official reason for the quakes, but many residents pointed to oil and gas drilling in the Barnett Shale as the cause. 鈥溾�楽omething is going on. Stop drilling and see what happens,鈥� said Victoria Ball of Azle, a recommendation that drew applause and cheers from the audience.鈥� The meeting was organized by Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter. The commission regulates the oil and gas industry. The agency is studying the issue, Porter told reporters. "It feels like a semi-truck hitting your house with a bomb going off," "I'm serious." StateImpact Texas reported: One man asked if the Texas Railroad Commission can be trusted to address issues surrounding the earthquakes. StateImpact Texas about cracked foundations, sinkholes, shifting propane tanks and pipelines, the cost of earthquake insurance and what the quakes could mean for groundwater. 鈥� including a look at how geophysicists are placing monitoring boxes around the region to track earthquakes, as well as research that shows that injection wells from drilling might be to blame for the quakes. Also, on Thursday, NPR鈥檚 All Things Considered
- The Cedar Hill mayor reflects on his stepson鈥檚 death from addiction. Rob Franke鈥檚 stepson, Joshua Slaven, had long struggled with addiction 鈥� smoking pot, drinking, PCP and heroin. On Christmas Eve, he showed up high to his family home. Franke told him to leave. Slaven, 31, headed to a neighboring home, using a tree branch to break a window. An armed homeowner confronted him, warning him of his gun. Slaven wouldn鈥檛 leave, and the homeowner fired.. Columnist Jacquielynn Floyd writes: 鈥淪laven鈥檚 harrowing death underscores the family鈥檚 trauma, but the road that led there is a well-traveled one. 鈥楾his story happens a lot to people who aren鈥檛 mayors. It happens all the time,鈥� Franke said. It鈥檚 an exhausting drama of love, betrayal, redemption, frustration, good intentions and dismal failures. It鈥檚 a catalog of chaos bitterly familiar to the loved ones of longtime addicts.鈥�
- In downtown Fort Worth, the U.S. Postal Service has taken another step toward leaving its landmark Lancaster Avenue post office. The move could ultimately lead to the building鈥檚 sale, but not its demise, says Andy Taft, president of Downtown Fort Worth Inc. The building is too valuable, The post office, an official Texas landmark, opened in 1933. It stands next to Interstate 30, and is one of three iconic structures in the neighborhood on the southern edge of downtown. The closure is part of the Postal Service鈥檚 plan to cut billions from its budget nationwide. Citizens have 30 days to comment on the plan. Fort Worth officials have thought about converting the building to a city hall,
- Time鈥檚 running out to see a spectacular exhibition in Fort Worth. a landmark exhibition at the , ends Sunday. The exhibition includes work from 23 artists living in the country to look at everyday life there. Andrea Karnes, curator at the Modern, 四虎影院鈥檚 Stephen Becker
- Do you have 鈥溾�� fever? The show returns to 四虎影院-TV, Channel 13, at 8 p.m. Sunday. Garden & Gun has offered its top 10 list of 鈥渞easons why we love 鈥楧ownton Abbey.鈥欌�� 鈥淭he series is tailored for a Southern audience鈥揻abulous interiors, beautiful hunt scenes, and a love of land that strikes a chord with us here in Dixie,鈥� Among the reasons: 鈥淟ady Mary is like a British Scarlett O鈥橦ara: beautiful, spoiled and determined. Let鈥檚 just hope she leaves the drapery on the windows.鈥� And then there鈥檚 this: 鈥淣o one loves鈥攐r plans鈥攁 wedding like we do in the South. Except maybe the British.鈥� 四虎影院鈥檚 Bill Young, our British TV guru, says: 鈥淵ou REALLY know you鈥檝e arrived when you make it in an issue of Garden & Gun magazine.鈥� Bill chronicles TV over the pond on the By the way, which 鈥淒ownton Abbey鈥� character are you 鈥� Mrs. Patmore? Thomas? Or how about Violet? Explore the 鈥� we didn鈥檛 see any spoilers. But we did see this: a preview of a scene from Sunday鈥檚 debut. Here it is:
