Five stories that have North Texas talking: Richard Linklater-directed ad calls for action against Senate Bill 6; this Plano man walks 15 miles to work five days a week; the state鈥檚 foster care system hires 400-plus employees; and more.
A new ad is asking Texans to make a stand against the so-called bathroom bill by taking a seat. The minute-long commercial was created by , an Austin-based ad agency, and Oscar-nominated director and native Texan . It鈥檚 part of a from the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and nonprofit Legacy Community Health called, 鈥�.鈥� The campaign and Linklater鈥檚 ad aim to inform Texans about and its social and economic repercussions.
If passed, it that transgender people use bathrooms, locker rooms or other sex-segregated spaces in public schools, government buildings and public universities based on 鈥渂iological sex鈥� instead of their gender identity. The bill would also block local nondiscrimination ordinances that guarantee transgender people the right to use the facilities that matches their gender identity. have condemned the bill and warned lawmakers of its potential damage, using North Carolina鈥檚 experience with as an example. [四虎影院]
- For decades, public schools across North Texas have endured demographic changes. From integration, then busing and white flight, followed by waves of immigration, economic troubles and competition from charter and private schools, the educational landscape has changed again and again. Today, we鈥檙e launching a new American Graduate series that explores these changes 鈥� it鈥檚 called 鈥�.鈥� Education reporters have spent the past few months exploring life at four different high schools across North Texas: O.D. Wyatt in Fort Worth, Liberty in Frisco, Kimball in Dallas and Duncanville High. [四虎影院]
- Emergency funding helped hire 441 new employees for the state鈥檚 troubled foster care system in December and January. Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Hank Whitman said Monday an additional around 250 staff should be hired soon, The Associated Press reports. The Legislature approved nearly $150 million for about 830 extra employees. The state鈥檚 leading lawmakers say fixing the foster care system is a during this legislative session. In the reporting series, 鈥淏roken,鈥� Texas Standard aims to get at the root of the challenges facing foster care in the state. . [The Associated Press, Texas Standard]
- This Plano man walks 15 miles to work in McKinney five days a week. The reason Patrick, 52, makes the at-minimum two-and-a-half trek to Braum鈥檚 each morning is simple. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 keep your job if you don鈥檛 go to work,鈥� he tells . He used to work at a Braum鈥檚 in Plano, but he was transferred. Patrick鈥檚 daily constitutional caught the attention of a McKinney police officer, who offered him ride to work. The officer asked to take a photo with Patrick to share along with his story on Facebook. His Braum鈥檚 location has been flooded with calls from people wanting to help ever since. A woman even started a for him. [NBC DFW]
- Black Texans have made historic strides not only for the state but also our nation. , who grew up in Waxahachie, was the first African-American woman to get her pilot鈥檚 license. of Houston was the first African-American woman in Congress from a Southern state. Alvin Ailey from Rogers, Texas was an influential dancer and choreographer, and he founded the company. was a monumental leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Texas. These historic figures have all passed, but black Texans continue to affect the political, cultural and social landscape. . [Texas State Historical Association]
