四虎影院

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Lawmakers will debate 鈥渂athroom bill鈥� at hearing; Joe Biden will speak at SXSW; Austin鈥檚 iconic mural was defaced 鈥� again; and more.

Texas鈥� so-called 鈥溾�� has its first hearing before the Senate State Affairs Committee today. The hearing comes a day after were held regarding the legislation: one from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, long before the 2017 legislative session began, and the other two from opponents 鈥� the state鈥檚 business and transgender communities.

The bill, which Patrick has branded as the 鈥�,鈥� would mandate that transgender Texans use sex-segregated facilities, like public restrooms, that match the gender on their birth certificate. The bill would also block local ordinances that guarantee transgender people the right to use the facilities that matches their gender identity. .

The , the , and of course, transgender Texans, have publicly denounced the bill or warned against its potential detriment to the state鈥檚 economy and overall well-being of the community. Just lawmaker has gone on the record in support of the bill. , 39 percent of Texans said it鈥檚 important for the Legislature to pass a such a law, while 51 percent said it鈥檚 not. . [四虎影院, The Texas Tribune]

• From a country town to a booming suburb, the city of Frisco has transformed over the last quarter century. The same goes for its schools. Like the city itself, the district is growing rapidly. Frisco ISD has 68 schools, and enrollment is projected to hit 66,000 students by 2020. Established in 2006, Liberty High School in Frisco is the youngest of the four schools featured in our series: . Over the years, Liberty has made changes to accommodate its diverse student body. For example, a prayer room was established for Muslim students to use during the day so they wouldn鈥檛 miss class. [四虎影院]

• Former Vice President Joe Biden will give a speech at South by Southwest about efforts to end cancer. Organizers that Biden will discuss plans for his new cancer-fighting initiative during the interactive portion of the festival on Sunday. 鈥淏iden has said recently that the initiative will focus on improving data standards to help researchers, work with community care organizations to improve access to care and push to ensure patients can afford treatments,鈥� The Associated Press reports. He has focused on improving cancer research efforts since his son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, died of brain cancer in 2015. [The Associated Press]

• This North Texas family is still waiting for answers about whether nearby gas production caused their water well to explode. More than two and a half years ago, the Murray family鈥檚 water well exploded at their Palo Pinto ranch. Their burns from the explosion have healed and scarred but they still lack a trusted source of water and word from state officials about what caused the disaster in the first place. reports: 鈥淥utside experts have linked the explosion to nearby gas drilling. The Railroad Commission won鈥檛 comment on details of its investigation, other to confirm thatit remains open.鈥� . [The Texas Tribune]

• Austin鈥檚 iconic 鈥淚 Love You So Much鈥� mural was vandalized for the third time. Someone spray painted an expletive over the mural on the wall of Jo鈥檚 Coffee on South Congress overnight Sunday, according to in Austin. The simple red mural has been a popular photo backdrop for tourists and locals alike for years. The artwork was being repainted and restored Monday and should be as good as new by today. This is the third reincarnation of the mural since it was created in 2010 by local artist Amy Cook. It was first vandalized in 2011 and again in 2015, according to . [KVUE, Eater Austin]