The top local stories this morning from KERA News:
The U.S. House Thursday approved more than $36 billion for disaster recovery efforts. Gov. Greg Abbott urged the 36 House members from Texas to vote against the bill. Six Republicans ultimately voted no - including Joe Barton of Ennis, Louie Gohmert of Tyler, Jeb Hensarling of Dallas and Kenny Marchant of Coppell.
Abbott criticized it because the package didn't include nearly $19 billion in aid he and most of the state's congressional delegation wanted for Hurricane Harvey relief. The Austin American-Statesman reports House leaders have promised a spending bill for Texas within 30 days.
Harvey rebuilding efforts could affect the state's next two-year budget, but the governor's been reluctant to tap into the Rainy Day Fund.
Other stories this morning:
- Amazon’s hiring seasonal workers at the company’s 75 fulfillment centers. Four of those centers are in Fort Worth, Haslet, Coppell and Dallas. Amazon will hire 10,000 people in Texas and 120,000 overall across the country.
- The Dallas Cultural Affairs Commission yesterday unanimously adopted recommendations on what to do with the city's Confederate statues and symbols. The recommendations come from a task force appointed by the Mayor. The task force’s chair explains how her group came to a consensus in our Friday Conversation.
- The annual OU-UT Red River Showdown kicks off tomorrow at the Cotton Bowl, which means larger-than-average crowds at the State Fair, the area around Fair Park, and crowded DART buses and trains.
You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.
