Five stories that have North Texas talking: Nearly all of Arlington High鈥檚 top students this year are female; ExxonMobil shareholders want answers; see an upbeat play in Dallas about the great equalizer: death; and more.
There are about 700 students in this year鈥檚 graduating class at Arlington High School 鈥� practically split evenly between boys and girls, according to the . Of the top 20 students ranked academically, 17 are female. In fact, the top 2 percent of graduating seniors at Arlington High are girls.
Principal ShahveerDhalla made the announcement Tuesday at a luncheon celebrating students at each of Arlington ISD鈥檚 six high schools. The Star-Telegram reports the 鈥渁ll-female contingent joked about their situation, with several calling it 鈥榗ool.鈥欌�� Grant Owens, the top male student, says he鈥檚 honored to be ranked with his female peers, calling them 鈥渟uper competitive鈥� and 鈥渟uper smart.鈥� They graduate Saturday. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]
- Gov. Greg Abbott has signed the bill aimed at rescuing the troubled Dallas Police and Fire Pension System from insolvency. Without the bill, the city鈥檚 pension fund would have gone broke within the next decade. According to : 鈥淭he law calls for a new board of trustees, benefit cuts and tens of millions of taxpayer dollars more than the amount the city had previously paid into the fund.鈥� A ban on large lump-sum withdrawals from retirees鈥� accounts is effective immediately; the rest takes effect Sept. 1. [The Dallas Morning News]
- ExxonMobil shareholders are pushing for more from the Irving-based oil giant. reports: 鈥淚nvestors supporting the idea want to know how ExxonMobil will deal with the kind of low-carbon future envisioned by the Paris climate agreement.鈥� Annual reports would include details on how the company would survive in the event that carbon-reducing policies lead to lower oil demand. ExxonMobil opposed the shareholder effort, saying the company is tackling climate change in other ways. [Houston Public Media]
- A new mural in Deep Ellum pays tribute to a Texas Rangers player鈥檚 infamous punch. No, not the Rougned Odor gave Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays last year. Local artist is painting a mural of the 1993 altercation between Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan and Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox on the east side of the bar, Wits End, reports. Ventura, 20 years younger than Ryan, charged toward the pitcher鈥檚 mound, and Ryan grabbed him in a headlock and punched him six times. The mural is expected to be completed early this month. [GuideLive]
- 鈥淲hen you get old, all your friends will die! And you will be a burden to the world!鈥� Those are sobering lyrics to the catchy tunes in 鈥�,鈥� 鈥渁 life-affirming show that鈥檚 part rock concert and part confessional,鈥� according to . The show from New York playwright is centered around one character鈥檚 (called the 鈥淪inger鈥�) life experiences. Local actor and musician portrays the lead role in all performances during the show鈥檚 North Texas premiere. The third of four performances is Friday. [Art&Seek]
The High Five is 四虎影院鈥檚 daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state.. And sign up for for the North Texas news you need to know.
