Five stories that have North Texas talking: The Twitter chorus of the 83rd Texas Legislature, a microwave that staves off mold, jobs with the lowest unemployment rates and more.
How are lawmakers handling the almost 600 bills on the plate this 83rd session of the Texas Legislature? Policy wonks should check out this Twitter list the Texas Tribune compiledof Senate and House members’ accounts. By their tally, two-thirds of the 181-member legislature have handles.
Trib Editor-in Chief Evan Smith is using Twitter to provide a harrowing account as well. An aside: He digs the new Yo La Tengo record more than the new legislative session.
- Can’t make it through a loaf of bread before it gets moldy in 10 days? Without a couple of kids or a really lazy palate, of course you can’t. One Texas company says its microwave technology can keep loaves mold-free for 60 days. MicroZap, Inc. had help from Texas Tech University in developing the idea, which researchers say could help boost food standards in countries where production is less policed. [AP via NPR]
- It’s a great time to be an atmospheric scientist or a metal model maker in America. The Wall Street Journal breaks down unemployment rates by occupation and shows how much each job’s numbers changed from 2011-2012. The U.S. unemployment rate on the whole is 7.8 percent; Dallas boasts a 6.3 percent rate right now, which is why Alida Moore of PayScale.com ranked the city number two in its “top 5 best cities for your career.”
- Mild flooding in Tarrant County was expected after heavy rain last night. What was less expected: drivers at Central Drive and 183 in Bedford dealt with ponding under the highway and on the access road. The area is under construction, but workers say precautions were in place and functioning as planned. [CBSDFW]
- A shooting at UT Southwestern last night in Dallas left Karen Smith, a 40-year –old executive assistant, dead on the fourth floor of a parking garage. Her husband, Ferdinand Glen Smith, has been arrested and charged with murder, according to a Dallas Police update sent our way. The Dallas Morning News has more.
