Five stories that have North Texas talking: Ethan Couch's mom will return to Tarrant County by Friday; breaking down the state's open carry law; the taco cleanse is new diet; and more.
On Tuesday morning, President Obama detailed his plans to combat gun violence in the U.S., primarily with stricter background checks for gun buyers. In his address, he called for people on both sides of the issue to come together 鈥� not to discuss the past mass shootings but to prevent the next one. And he said while believing in the second amendment, he thinks the right should be balanced with other protections, .
Here's the White House's video of the address:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myfByN5p928&feature=youtu.be
Following the address, Texas political leaders offered their opinions. Unlike the majority, U.S. Representative E.B. Johnson was not opposed to Obama's executive orders.
Attorney General Ken Paxton
Attorney General Paxton Statement on President Obama鈥檚 Gun Control Announcement
— Texas Attorney General (@TXAG)
Gov. Greg Abbott
Enough is enough. Pres Obama must stop trampling the Bill of Rights & imposing 2nd Amendment restrictions.
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott)
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
The president may not personally like it, but we have the constitutional right to protect ourselves, our families and our businesses.
— Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick)
Sen.Ted Cruz
I鈥檒l defend our right to keep and bear arms:
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz)
U.S. Rep. E.B. Johnson
President Obama is laying out common sense steps for gun safety:
— Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (@RepEBJ)
Despite the quick responses, 鈥渘o immediate official action was announced by state leaders,鈥� reported. Read more reactions from state leaders from the Trib鈥檚 article. [NPR, Texas Tribune]
Tarrant County, you can take Tonya Couch back now. The mother of Ethan Couch 鈥� the 18-year-old fugitive currently being held in a Mexican jail 鈥� 鈥溾�榳aived her right to extradition鈥� in a Los Angeles court Tuesday morning, and can now be returned to Texas at any time,鈥� according to . Ethan will remain in Mexico until Texas authorities retrieve Tonya. Authorities said she'll be back by the end of the week. She faces a felony fugitive charge in California on top of her felony hindering apprehension charge for allegedly helping her son 鈥渇lee to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico after he missed a juvenile probation appointment,鈥� The Star-Telegram reported. She'll be held on a $1 million bond, the Associated Press reported. See the . [AP, Fort Worth Star-Telegram]
How well do you know open carry in Texas? There鈥檚 a lot of confusion surrounding it, so don鈥檛 feel bad. 四虎影院鈥檚 outlined what you need to know about the law and what it means for gun-toting Texans. Perhaps the most important thing to know: You can鈥檛 carry a gun anywhere you want. Actually, Central Track compiled a that are opting out of open carry. . [四虎影院, Central Track]
What鈥檚 the Dallas Zoo like after hours? Meet the nighttime zookeeper, Roman Kantorek. The Dallas Morning News featured Kantorek, who has not only a unique 鈥渄ay鈥� job, but also an interesting personal journey landing the job thirty years ago. 鈥淜antorek had to leave Poland because of his involvement with a publishing house that printed books banned by the communist government. He secured political refugee status from the United States and landed in Texas in February 1986, thanks to the sponsorship of a Dallas family. By August, he鈥檇 found a job at the zoo.鈥� . [Dallas Morning News]
It鈥檚 a new year 鈥� time to try the latest diet: the taco cleanse. Four Texans ate nothing but tacos for a month and documented the diet in . The book includes recipes 鈥渄ozens of taco recipes and a strategy for devoting 30 days to vegan tacos,鈥� according to . If you make it through, you can even print off a signed by the four 鈥渢aco scientists鈥� themselves. [GuideLive]
