Five stories that have North Texas talking: nonprofits do not want donations from Ebola house decorator, Texas college students are wary of student loans, there’s a nine-year-old stand-up comedian in Dallas, and more.
The man behind the controversial Ebola house decorations in University Park wants to use the attention to raise money for Doctors Without Borders, but the non-profit doesn’t want his money. WFAA spoke with James Faulk, who put up the decorations last week.
Faulk says he’s disappointed that the group doesn’t want him to raise money on their behalf -- he says the rejection was all about political correctness -- but he still hopes “to raise awareness” about the disease. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas doesn’t want his donation either. He visited the WFAA studio in the protective equipment he bought at a hospital auction.
- Dallas police officials will launch a Web page next month that will document police shootings from the last 12 years. The Dallas Morning News reports the move comes after a recent bout of police shootings – there have been 19 incidents this year -- and complaints from community leaders. The web page will include charts, incident details, ethnic breakdowns and details behind the department’s deadly force policy and investigative process.
- Future Texas college students are wary of student loans, but in an effort to avoid them, may take longer to finish their degree. Dianna Douglas reports Texans have less student debt than the national average, but are more likely to be delinquent in paying back those loans. Many students in Texas community colleges also enroll part time and work full time to avoid taking out large loans, but increases the risk of dropping out.
- USA Today College has ranked the top 10 colleges in Texas, and most of them are private institutions. The rankings were based off of graduation rates, low student loan default rates and salaries of graduates. SMU ranked No .5, Texas Christian University in Fort Worth ranked 6th, Baylor University was No. 8, and the University of Dallas came in at No. 10. Check out the full list.
- There’s a nine-year-old comic making the rounds in Dallas’ comedy scene. The Dallas Observer reports Saffy Herndon performs at many popular open mic nights, including those at the Dallas Comedy House and the Kessler Theater. Watch a video of her recent set:
This 9-Year-Old Stand-Up Comic Is Taking Dallas By Storm from Voice Media Group on Vimeo.
