A First Of Its Kind, This Big Box Home Store In Dallas Generates More Energy Than It Uses

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Dallas is home to an energy-positive big box store; Abbott calls for busy special session; there's birth control delivery to “contraceptive deserts”; and more.

A new home decor store in Dallas has generated a lot of buzz since its grand opening last week. Actually, TreeHouse, an Austin-based retailer, has been generating energy.

TreeHouse in Dallas is the first big box store in the world to produce more energy than it uses. Through solar panels, Tesla batteries, north-facing windows and other efficient design features, the building is able to send unused energy back into the city grid. It was designed by San Antonio-based architecture firm Lake & Flato.

The Dallas location opened June 1in The Hill redevelopment at the northeast corner of US-75 and Walnut Hill Lane. A third store in the TreeHouse chain is planned for Plano. [Texas Monthly, CultureMap Dallas]

Watch a 2015 interview with TreeHouse chairman Garrett Boone on KERA’s CEO.

• It’s official: Texas Lawmakers will head back to Austin for a special session on July 18.  Gov. Greg Abbott made the announcement Tuesday. Lawmakers will have 30 days to tackle 20 items with the passage of a sunset scheduling bill taking top priority. The sunset bill concerns keeping a handful of state agencies, including the Texas Medical Board, open. KUT reports: “Lt. Gov. Patrick and other Tea Party Republicans hoped to use the need for a special session to keep those agencies open as a way to renew the debate over bathroom access and property taxes.” [KUT]

• This mobile app provides birth control to women in “contraceptive deserts” of Texas. “Contraceptive deserts” are defined as areas without at least one clinic to every 1,000 women in need of publicly funded contraception.Nurx, which launched in Texas on Monday, allows people to register through its app to choose contraception, have a doctor review the order and write the prescription, and then it's delivered in three to five days. With insurance, most birth control is free. Without coverage, birth control starts at $15 per pack. [TechCrunch]

• In this Texas coal town, residents are worried about the climate, but not the Paris Accord. Reviving the coal industry is one reason President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris agreement last week. In Blue, Texas, a small town located near the last remaining coal mine in that part of the state, residents recognize the climate is changing, KUT reports, but they mostly shrug over Trump’s decision to end the commitment to fighting it. “Everybody wants the environment to do good,” one resident says. “But then, nobody wants to lose their job over it, either.” [KUT]

• On ESPN’s list of the world’s 100 most famous athletes, you won’t find a Maverick, a Ranger or a Cowboy. Instead, you’ll find Jordan Spieth, a 23-year-old pro golfer from Dallas, ranked at No. 17. Last year, Spieth was square in the middle, at No. 50. The ranking is determined by the combination of an athlete's endorsements, social media following and internet search popularity. Spieth has $32 million in endorsements, and a few million followers across the major social networks. So, who’s No. 1? This guy. [ESPN]

The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.