Five stories that have North Texas talking: Border wall plans threaten Texas wildlife refuge; a former governor of Texas has died; another concert hall in Deep Ellum gets a second life; and more.
A group of Texas congressmen is concerned about plans for a section of the proposed border wall to cut through a federal wildlife refuge in the Rio Grande Valley.
Federal officials have told landowners and local officials that on about 3 miles of the river levee that runs through the in Hidalgo County, the reports. Private contractors and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have been preparing to build this first piece of the wall for at least six months, according to the .
In a letter Friday to Elaine Duke, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the congressmen said that a wall cutting through the refuge 鈥渃ould do serious .鈥�
of San Antonio, of Laredo, of Austin, of McAllen, of El Paso, and of Brownsville signed the letter. In it, they ask DHS to confirm the refuge as a border wall site and to respond to whether the build would comply with environmental reviews and regulations concerning endangered species and water use.
The Trump administration has proposed 60 miles of wall construction in the Rio Grande Valley. The U.S. House with $1.6 billion in funding to start construction in South Texas as well as 14 miles in San Diego.
The administration could waive environmental reviews and other laws to expedite construction in Texas, . Construction on the first segment through the wildlife refuge is .
[The Associated Press, The Texas Tribune, Texas Observer, NPR]
- Mark White, the governor of Texas from 1983 to 1987, at the age of 77. He鈥檚 known for signing 1984 legislation that included the "" law. [The Texas Tribune]
- The legal fight over the , a small songbird native to Texas, could test the Trump administration鈥檚 handling of endangered species. [Texas Observer]
- This week, Dallas鈥� Will Clarke is releasing his master's thesis for the University of British Columbia as his third novel, 鈥�.鈥� [Art&Seek]
- After more than a decade in the dark, as Canton Hall this Halloween, thanks to the owners of Trees and the Bomb Factory. [D Magazine]
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 forfor the North Texas news you need to know.
