Five stories that have North Texas talking: Lakewood residents memorialized 2016’s biggest headlines as Halloween decorations; for this UT-Austin professor, college was an escape from guns; Greg Abbott thinks the Big 12 owes Houston an apology; and more.
Texas, Texas, Texas. Of all the headlines you’ve made over the past few weeks, this might be the most disappointing. Candy corn is the Halloween candy of choice in the Lone Star State, according to a survey from Influenster. Call it traditionalism, call it bad taste, but of all the sweets in the Halloween market, Texans chose the most polarizing candy.
.@bobbycblanchard Fact: All the candy corn was made in 1903, and has just been recirculated every year since. I can't prove it but it's true
— Mark Wiggins (@MarkWigginsTX) October 18, 2016
The survey asked 40,000 people across the country about their favorite Halloween candies. And Texas isn’t the only one to claim the sugary triangle as its favorite. Oregon, Wyoming, Tennessee and South Carolina are guilty, too. See the U.S. candy map.
The one redeeming finding: The candy that pulled the highest total number of votes was Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. It was one of only three candies (including Kit Kat and Butterfinger) to be voted top treats by every single state in the U.S. [Marketplace, Influenster]
- A front yard in Dallas’ Lakewood neighborhood decorated for Halloween with news headlines from 2016. Residents Philip and Shannon Durst marked graves in their front yard with some of the biggest news stories this year. The memorialized news bites include Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte's endorsements, Brad and Angelina's marriage, Billy Bush's career, Samsung's Galaxy Note 7, faith in Wells Fargo and Hodor from Game of Thrones, the Dallas Morning News reports. See the dursts front lawn from WFAA. [WFAA, DMN]
- There are 15 states, including Texas, employing new voting laws this election. In July, a federal appeals court struck down Texas’ 2011 voter ID law as unconstitutional. In the months following, federal authorities have had to keep tabs on how Texas is complying with the law. This month, the state the has created and started airing ads explaining what forms of voter ID will be accepted at the polls. See ProPublica’s database of states that have enacted new voting laws. [ProPublica]
- College was an escape from gun violence for Minkah Makalani. He’s now an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Makalani wrote in The New Yorker about his concerns regarding UT’s campus carry law, which took effect on Aug. 1. “We chose our profession believing that, while we might encounter resistance to new ideas, we could safely push our students to think more deeply about their inherited beliefs and assumptions. Campus carry undermines this kind of critical debate.” Read the full article. [The New Yorker]
- Gov. Greg Abbott says the Big 12 should apologize for not expanding after spending three months vetting and interviewing potential new member schools.The governor, who had previously tweeted his support for Houston being added to the Big 12, blasted the conference on Twitter on Monday night. Earlier Monday, the Big 12 announced it would not add to its 10 members. Houston was among the 11 schools the Big 12 met with in September. [The Associated Press]
