Five stories that have North Texas talking: Big-screen video boards get even bigger, Texas packs a deadly punch, watch homemade planes crash into the water, and more.
Oh, those boys and their video toys. Move over AT&T Stadium: Texas Motor Speedway has announced it has the bigger and better video screen. The speedway will unveil the world’s largest high-definition video board next season -- nearly 80 percent bigger than the one at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, USA Today reports. The new screen, nicknamed “Big Hoss,” will feature nearly 21,000 square feet of 1080p high-definition goodness, topping the 16,000-square-foot board built at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Texas speedway says that Texas has seven of the world’s 50 largest HD video boards. The screen will be ready in March.
- Texas packs a deadly punch: Texas leads the country in the number of people killed by “hands, fists and feet.” (If you’re wondering, 101 people died that way in Texas in 2012.) California was second with 87. Time crunched FBI data and concluded that the South is the country’s most violent region, but that smaller cities had higher per capita homicide rates. No. 1 on the list? Flint, Mich., with one homicide for every 1,613 people. In New York City, there was one homicide for every 19,784 people.
- On Henderson, art's the winner: Art On Henderson has named the winners of its 2013 competition. Laura Abrams won first place for Petal Play, a 5-foot-tall steel sculpture. Pascal Pryor placed second for producing a 7-foot-tall monarch butterfly wing made of steel and plexiglass. Third place was awarded to Scott Shubin for Cobra, which consists of 6-feet tall red powder coated steel tubes and represents the “growth and resurgence of Henderson Ave.” Selected work will be on display for two years on Henderson Avenue. Over $12,000 was awarded this year. [Glasstire]
- Flugtag makes a splash: Tens of thousands of people showed up at Lake Carolyn in Irving over the weekend to watch teams try to fly homemade planes. It’s called Flugtag – and similar competitions were held in Miami; Chicago; Long Beach, Calif.; and Washington, D.C. In Irving, many of the contraptions fell into the water. In case you missed the Irving event, the Dallas Observer has a lengthy slideshow.
- Is it an ad or is it art? Prada Marfa might be doomed. No, there's no fancy store in Marfa. Instead, it's a roadside advertisement -- and Texas officials say it's illegal. State transportation officials are pondering what to do about the iconic structure in West Texas. Blame it on the Playboy bunny. The Prada Marfa building came under scrutiny this summer after Playboy installed a 40-foot sign with a neon-lit bunny nearby. The state ordered Playboy to remove its sign within the next month. It has not yet determined whether to take similar action against the Prada Marfa.
And here's a bonus item:
- Landmark documentary continues tonight: PBS’ “Latino Americans” continues at 7 tonight on KERA-TV, Channel 13. “Latino” is the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the history and experiences of Latinos. The first two episodes aired last Tuesday and are available online. The series features interviews with historians and scholars, as well as commentator Linda Chávez, who became the highest-ranking woman in the Reagan White House, and singer Gloria Estefan.
Here’s a preview of the series:
