Five stories that have North Texas talking: A Dallas Stars star is honored; a North Texan was on the plane that disappeared in Asia over the weekend; South by Southwest continues; and more.
The Dallas Stars retired Mike Modano’s No. 9 jersey over the weekend. ESPN reports: "From the moment I got off that plane in 1993, Dallas felt like home," Modano told a sold-out crowd at American Airlines Center. "You've allowed me to be a part of your lives and you to mine. It's been an amazing ride. It couldn't have been done without you people. We asked you to give us a chance and you stuck with us and for that, I'm grateful." NHL.com reports that Modano was “greeted by a group of Dallas sports personalities, including former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and former Texas Rangers infielder Michael Young.” Earlier this year, Stars CEO Jim Lites talked with KERA about the team’s 20th anniversary in Texas – and Modano’s impact on the team.
Watch the ceremony here:
And a Twitter shout-out from Modano:
Thank you to all the fans, teammates and everyone who made last night possible @DallasStars, @AllisonmGOLF @Razor5Hole @RalphStrangis
— Mike Modano (@9modano) March 9, 2014
- A North Texas family is waiting for news about a man who was aboard the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared Saturday. Philip Wood, 50, moved from Keller to Beijing and eventually relocated to Kuala Lumpur. His sons talked with WFAA-TV on Sunday. “He really just embodied love and forgiveness and generosity,” Chris Wood said. Both sons says they are going through many emotions, from sadness to confusion. “What does that mean if it's disappeared?” Nick Wood said, referring to the jetliner. “Because a plane doesn't just typically disappear.” In a statement, family described Wood as “incredibly generous, creative and intelligent,” The Dallas Morning News reports. Wood worked for IBM in Malaysia. Get the latest news from NPR on the missing plane.
- Gloria Campos’ last newscast on WFAA-TV attracted lots of viewers Friday. Channel 8’s 10 p.m. newscast drew 284,000 viewers – doubling the audience of 142,000 that watched KTVT (Channel 11), Ed Bark, the longtime local TV observer, reports on Unclebarky.com. WFAA’s 10 p.m. news was the most-watched TV show all day Friday, Bark reports. Campos ended a 30-year career on North Texas television. Campos spoke with KERA 90.1 FM about her career. And need more of a Gloria fix? Watch videos of Campos through the years.
- Ebby Halliday marked her 103rd birthday Sunday. The grande dame of Dallas real estate keeps rocking and rolling. Last week, she received quite a birthday honor: The YWCA announced a major expansion -- a $7 million dollar women’s center near the Dallas Medical District called “Ebby’s Place.” The center will provide work skills training, health classes and a savings match to help women start their own businesses. “Ebby’s Place” is expected to be up and running by October. Did you know Ebby is a ukulele player? Here’s video proof:
- South by Southwest is underway in Austin. KERA and Art&Seek will provide coverage online and on the air throughout the week. We’ve already posted several items on Art&Seek: KERA’s Stephen Becker reports on The Legend of Shorty. KERA’s Alan Melson explores one of the SXSW Interactive sessions: museums, the people who run them and how they will grow their audiences. He also recaps remarks from opening keynote speaker Austin Kleon and ESPN juggernauts Bill Simmons and Nate Silver. KERA’s Dane Walters catches us up on the interactive session Tech & Art: Digital Innovation in the Art World.
