Five stories that have North Texas talking: Enough votes would restore the McKinney Performing Arts Center; Dallas Stars lose beloved voice; a vegan made the state fair’s butter sculpture; and more.
The historic Collin County Courthouse building in McKinney is one of 25 preservation projects across the country competing for a share of $2 million.
The projects with the most votes by the end of the month will be awarded grants until the full $2 million is distributed. People can vote once a day until Oct. 31. Voting opened Sep. 25 and more than 100,000 votes have been tallied so far.
If McKinney wins, the city would use the funding to restore the exterior of courthouse. The McKinney Performing Arts Center currently occupies the building at 111 N. Tennessee St.
Since Collin County was established, there have been at a least four courthouses located on the square, according to the city. The first was built in 1848. The current courthouse was said to be the tallest building north of San Antonio in its heyday. It was last restored in 2006.
The campaign comes from Partners in Preservation, an initiative created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express in 2006. Since then, over $19 million has been awarded to more than 200 sites. [National Geographic, City of McKinney]
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- “Am I the only one here frustrated with Congress?” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz tried to relate to members of Grassroots America We the People in Tyler on Friday and the NE Tarrant Tea Party in Grapevine on Saturday over inaction in Washington. [The Texas Tribune]
- Dave Strader, Dallas Stars play-by-play caller, died Sunday in his native Glens Falls, New York. Strader, known as “The Voice,” had bile duct cancer diagnosed soon after the 2015-16 season, his first and last with the Stars. He was 62. [SportsDay]
- The Texas Gentlemen may be the state’s best kept secret in the music industry. Members work as session musicians or backing bands for acts like Kris Kristofferson, George Strait and many others. Now, they’re setting out to create and record their own music. [Art&Seek]
- A vegan created the State Fair of Texas’ butter sculpture. Longtime artist Ken Robison started working in the medium last year. If you stop by Fair Park in Dallas by Oct. 22, you’ll see “Mount Muchmore,” his Texas take on the famous monument. [Texas Monthly]
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.
