Five stories that have North Texas talking: a black business executive gets into the Dallas Country Club after a 13-year wait, a transgender widow wins a fight in court, catch WFAA鈥檚 Dale Hansen on Ellen, and more.
Talk about a long wait time: after waiting for 13 years, a black business executive from Preston Hollow has been admitted to the once all-white Dallas Country Club. Kneeland Youngblood鈥檚 application to the club languished for 13 years, while the club granted a more limited, out-of-state membership to another black businessman a few years ago, the .
Paul Quinn College president Michael Sorrel said that Youngblood鈥檚 admission says a lot about how racial barriers have been slow to come down in Dallas. 鈥淚鈥檓 speechless that it took 13 years for a person of Kneeland Youngblood鈥檚 quality to be admitted to anything,鈥� Sorrel said. 鈥淥ld habits die hard.鈥�
The club has a pricey membership fee: $137,000
- There鈥檚 no word yet on a decision to the two cases challenging Texas鈥� same-sex marriage ban, but an important decision was issued on another legal case . An appeals court overturned a judge鈥檚 ruling that voided the marriage of a transgender widow; her firefighter husband died battling a fire. The original court decision recognized the marriage as a same-sex marriage, but Nikki Araguz argued she had done everything medically and legally possible to show she is female and legally married under state law.
- Dale Hansen鈥檚 commentary on Missouri football player Michael Sam , which has caught the attention of Piers Morgan, NPR, and others. He鈥檒l be appearing today on the . The national attention surprised the sports anchor, and he says he rarely gets surprised. 鈥淸People] see a big, fat, old guy from Dallas, Texas, and they thought they knew what the redneck was going to say,鈥� Hansen told 鈥淚 guess they were wrong.鈥� Ellen will air at 1 p.m. on KXAS ahead of the Winter Olympics coverage.
- Take advantage of the warmer weather today to wine and dine with a special someone at Klyde Warren Park. It鈥檚 annual event will start at 6:30 p.m., and it鈥檒l include swing dancing, a dessert station, and champagne and wine.
- If a park date isn鈥檛 your thing, how about a robot opera? went behind the scenes of composer Tod Machover鈥檚 new sci-fi opera, Death and Powers. It tells the story of a terminally ill billionaire and explores the idea of humanity without the possibility of touch, suffering, and death. Get your tickets
