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PETA Honors McKinney Fire Department For Rescuing Man And His Dog From Floodwaters

First Response Photography
First Response Photography captured this sweet moment in McKinney -- a picture that's gone viral.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: McKinney firefighter gets a lot of attention for rescuing a dog; a popular Oak Cliff bookstore turns off Wi-Fi; 2015 is the wettest year on record in Dallas-Fort Worth; and more.

PETA is honoring the McKinney Fire Department after members saved a man and his dog, Duke, last week. They were stuck in rising floodwaters. McKinney Firefighter Del Ray Pope rescued Duke, who licked him afterward – a sweet moment that First Response Photography captured in a photo that went viral. Pope appeared on Fox News to talk about the rescue. "As soon as he saw me, he ran over, two paws right in the middle of the chest, jumped up and started licking my face," Pope told Fox News. PETA says it’s sending the fire department “a framed certificate, a box of delicious vegan chocolates, and a copy of ‘The Engine 2 Diet,’ a Texas firefighter's 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape by eating a plant-based diet.”

Watch the Fox News interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fypR8nQNsLA

And watch the rescue from First Response Photography:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAJkCquAF4Y

  • A popular Oak Cliff bookstore is turning off the Wi-Fi on the weekends. The Dallas Morning News reports: “Effective Nov. 27, Wild Detectives has outlawed Wi-Fi from 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday night. Free Wi-Fi will be continue to be available on weekdays, like before. Andrés de la Casa-Huertas, brand director at The Wild Detectives, says the change was made so that their customers will disconnect from work -- and also from web surfing, Facebook scrolling and Twitter lurking, we presume -- and just hang out. The bookstore regularly hosts events on the weekends, and customers treat it as a cafe, where they buy books, beer and wine, and little bites called tostas.” [The Dallas Morning News]

  • This year is the wettest year on record for North Texas. As of Nov. 30, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport reported 58.78 inches for 2015. Normally, we see 36.14 inches in a year, the National Weather Service says. We saw 21.32 inches of rain in 2014 and 29.40 inches in 2013. And we’re just entering December, which means we still have one month to go to fill the rain gauges even more in 2015. November was very wet, too. So was May. And the forecast calls for a wet winter. Learn more here. [KERA]

  • Athletic officials have reprimanded football powerhouse Katy High School for using an ineligible player but will let the undefeated team stay in the Texas Class 6A Division II playoffs. The University Interscholastic League in Austin held an emergency meeting Thursday ahead of Friday's next scheduled playoff game against Manvell. Katy officials self-reported using an ineligible sophomore on a handful of plays in last week's 66-0 win over Friendswood. Katy district and school officials say administrative errors and confusion over the rule book led to the violation. The player had transferred to Katy in November. The UIL disciplinary panel could have kicked Katy (13-0), a seven-time state champion, out of the playoffs. The panel instead voted 3-0 for the reprimand and put the school on one year of probation. [Associated Press]

  • A video shows a North Texas deputy trying to save a woman from floodwaters. KXAS-TV [NBC 5] reports: “The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office released 911 calls and dash-cam video Tuesday that shows Tarrant County Deputy Krystal Salazar's heroic efforts to save a 76-year-old woman, who was drowning in her car. When floodwaters washed Zenola Jenkins' car off a far South Fort Worth bridge early Friday morning, water immediately flooded her car. Family members say Jenkins called her daughter Diana a total of three times -- by the end, the water was up to her neck, and family members say Jenkins was scared and telling her daughter how much she loved her. [NBC 5]

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.