Five stories that have North Texas talking: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra concerts are canceled through early October; a Lewisville musician isn’t sacrificing her passion for a bigger paycheck; Rice’s marching band has a history of not playing nice; and more.
To live is to drive in Texas. So, rest stops along the highway aren’t for passing by. Especially, when you see a pair of buck teeth on a cartoon beaver come into view. Many tired and hungry drivers in need of a pick-me-up consider Buc-ee’s a respite from the hustle and bustle of the road. It’s certainly not just a gas station. In fact, Bon Appetit magazine deems Buc-ee’s the best rest stop in America.
More: Go inside the Buc-ees of Texas on Instagram.
Known for its gourmet food, innumerable drinks and clean bathrooms (We’re talking award-winning clean.), Buc-ees has set a new standard, Bon Appetit says. Besides the laundry list of comforts and amenities, the magazine praises the rest stop’s charm. “After all, Buc-ee’s is special for all the ways in which it fully embodies the Lone Star State culture—insanely big, wildly accommodating, and unabashedly friendly.” The rest stop chain has nearly 40 locations in Texas and will venture out of state into Louisiana next year. [Bon Appetit]
- Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra performances have now been canceled through Oct. 2. Musicians went on strike almost two weeks ago following months of contentious contract negotiations with orchestra management. The musicians union says pay cuts proposed by management are too deep. The symphony is trying to close a deficit of $700,000. The symphony says ticket holders should call the box office to exchange tickets for future concerts, gift certificates or to get refunds. [KERA News]
- The federal government is trying to disrupt the Texas operations of a white supremacist prison gang. The Aryan Brotherhood spread to Texas in the 1980s. The federal government decided Texas chapters were among the most brutal and violent, and in 2008, launched an aggressive six-year operation that landed 75 members of the Aryan Brotherhood in prison. In a rare occurrence, NPR’s John Burnett recently spoke with James “Chance” Jones, a senior major in the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT). [Texas Standard]
- America has a trillion-dollar problem: student loans. Some people borrow $200,000 for law school, while others take out $10,000 for a bachelor’s degree they never finish. One North Texas musician is somewhere in between. Katie Combest has two undergraduate degrees — one’s paid off, but the other isn’t anywhere close. In the third chapter of “One Crisis Away: Drowning In Debt,” Combest explains why she’s choosing her passion for music over a corporate paycheck. [KERA News]
- Rice University’s musical jab at Baylor is one of many in the marching band’s history. On Friday, Rice’s band made several references to Baylor’s sexual assault scandal in its halftime performance during the Owls-Bears matchup in Houston. It upset many Baylor fans, but for Rice, it was just another link in a chain of snarky numbers airing their opponents dirty laundry. The Texas Tribune rounds up five other instances of Rice not playing nice. [The Texas Tribune]
