It was another busy week in North Texas. Our free Courier DFW newsletter brings these straight to your inbox, Monday-Friday. Want to know more about education issues throughout the state? Subscribe to our Wednesday TexEd Report newsletter. 

(April 6-10)

👉  Pop art for a cause: Painter Ashley Longmore is in Dallas for a monthlong residency, selling pop-art pieces depicting Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and other iconic faces, to raise money for Dallas arts school Booker T. Washington High. (CBS 33)

👉 Families over factories: The city of Dallas is finally looking into how much it would cost to buy the West Dallas GAF shingle plant out if its contract in order to close it sooner than its 2029 contract end. Community members have been lobbying for the close of industrial plants in residential neighborhoods because of harmful environmental effects. (NBC 5)

👉  Black maternal health event: Community leaders are kicking off Black Maternal Health Week by hosting “Nurture & Thrive – A Black maternal wellness experience” to help Black families better advocate for themselves in the health care space. Get the details here.  (Fort Worth Report)

👉 Get that bread: Fort Worth-founded Mrs. Baird’s went from a home business to becoming the number one bread brand in the US. Here’s the story.

👉 Censorship clapback: The artist whose exhibit was suddenly closed by the University of North Texas back in February is fighting back. Victor Quiñonez launched a mobile billboard campaign Tuesday, and the truck is being driven around the campus this week. UNT has yet to respond to his joint letter with the ACLU or apologize to him. (ACLU)

👉 Spicy in space: Many of you may be delighted to know that the crew of Artemis II took five different brands of hot sauce to space. While NASA refused to share what brands, take the poll below to let me know your pick. See what else the astronauts are eating. (Axios Dallas)

👉 You be the judge: After a Houston judges goes viral for being a jerk, it left us asking, “Is there a better way to appoint judges?”

👉 Name the newborn: Dallas Zoo tigers Suki and Kuasa became the proud parents of a male and female cubs a few weeks ago and now the zoo is asking for your helping naming one. While the staff has plans to name the brother, the sister is relying on zoo patrons. Cast your vote here with a donation of any amount. (Dallas Zoo)

👉 Affordable housing: An affordable housing apartment community is underway in Denton. One- to four-bedroom apartments will be offered to those making 30% to 70% of the area’s median income—for Denton, that’s anywhere from $34,000 to $79,000 a year. (NBC 5)

👉 The birds: Federally protected egrets are descending on a Fort Worth neighborhood, leaving overwhelming amounts of waste in their wake. Residents are running out of their homes at dusk to swing noise makers around to deter them—not 100 birds, but more like 1,000. “It feels like we’re getting attacked every night,” one neighbor said.

👉  Dallasites weigh in: If you want to weigh in on the Dallas City Hall debate, or have an opinion on how the city uses some of its other property, you have until May 3 to take this survey. (City of Dallas)

👉 Jetsetters coffee: A new coffee shop will soon open in Dallas Love Field’s Frontiers of Flight Museum, offering locals and travelers coffee drinks and bites from popular DFW eateries.

👉  Seatbelt blow: Senate Bill 546 requires Texas school districts to provide seatbelts for every passenger on all school buses. Plano ISD could spend more than $16 million to comply. (Community Impact)

👉 Public art push: The Fort Worth city council approved $189k in commission contracts to go toward two new public artworks. Here’s what you need to know.

👉 Fracking by a daycare: In 2025, the city of Arlington approved the drilling of 10 gas wells in an area with several schools and a mostly Black and Latino population, all for—well—the money. Now, residents are speaking out on the effects of fracking on them and their children.

👉 Summer camp loading: Summer camps are filling up fast. Here are the eight coolest sleepaway camps near DFW.

👉  Murder settlement unpaid: The family of Botham Jean—the Dallas man murdered in 2018 by a police officer who entered the wrong apartment—has sued the city of Dallas in hopes of forcing it to pay the $98 million settlement decided in the officer’s case. The city’s municipal ordinance does say the city is responsible because the officer was its employee. (WFAA)

👉  Texas’ best pizza: This Lewisville pizza shop has won best pizza in Texas for the second year in a row. They serve Detroit-style pizza, which means rectangular pies with a thick focaccia-like crust. (WFAA)