Five stories that have North Texas talking: Vandals destroy sculpture of beloved Denton blues artist; what alternative medicines Texans use; why you’re going to spend all your money at Target in November; and more.
A sculpture of Denton blues legend Tom “Pops” Carter installed in a local park in 2014 was vandalized earlier this week, devastating the artist and residents.
Christie Wood, a glass artist in Denton, confirmed Wednesday that her work in Quakertown Park was damaged. She believes someone took a baseball bat to the sculpture between Monday night and Tuesday morning, the Denton Record-Chronicle reports.
Her piece was protected by 3/8-inch, bulletproof Lexan.
"It takes so much force to break this glass," she tells the Record-Chronicle. "It's used in cars for presidential candidates and kings. It is bulletproof. But it will flex."
According to the Record-Chronicle: “City of Denton Parks Director Emerson Vorel told Wood the city plans to remove the sculpture to prevent any further damage or someone getting hurt. A crew will put the sculpture into storage to evaluate it and decide what to do next.” The parks department will file a police report as well.
Carter, who died in 2012, played with the greats, like B.B. King and in the mid-1980s, formed his band, Pops Carter and the Funkmonsters, “which would become an anchor act of the Denton Blues Festival,” according to the Record-Chronicle.
The festival in Quakertown Park takes place this weekend. [Denton Record-Chronicle]
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- In Texas, there’s a long tradition of combining both modern and alternative medicine — a tradition patients rarely discuss with their doctors. One Microsoft researcher got creative and used search data to learn about how people use alternative medicine. [KERA News]
- The 120,000 young Texans who received work permits and protection from deportation under DACA are all wondering what’s next if the program ends in six months. Two siblings in Austin, both DACA recipients, face completely different futures. [KUT]
- “It was heartbreaking, because you knew they just wanted to get on dry land.” Logan Goudeau, 17, and fellow residents of a ranching community southeast of Houston took to the skies in helicopters to move their cattle to higher ground after Harvey hit. [Texas Monthly]
- Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” and Waco royalty, have partnered with Target on a new line of home decor called Hearth & Hand by Magnolia. Products will be on the shelves in November and most items will cost under $30. [DFW.com]
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