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UPDATE: Gov. Perry Signs Abortion Bill Into Law

Texas Governor Rick Perry's office
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Flickr

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Gov. Rick Perry signs hotly contested House Bill 2 into law, another big cat succumbs to feline distemper in Wylie, Fort Worth scrambles to fix a really expensive mistake, and more.

Updated, 10:41 a.m.: Gov. Rick Perry signed House Bill 2 into law today, The Texas Tribune reports. The Texas Legislature gave approval on the bill Friday after weeks of protest at the Capitol and a marathon filibuster attempt by Sen. Wendy Davis. HB2 will include provisions to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and restrict abortions to surgical centers.

Opponents are worried that the bill will trample on women’s rights, but others are worried women will simply find ways to circumvent the new legislation. Dr. Lestor Minto, who owns the Reproductive Services clinic in Harlingen, tells ABC News he's concerned that women from South Texas and Mexico will turn to the off-label drug, Cyotec. The drug is usually smuggled in from Mexico and is used to begin a miscarriage.

  • Credit In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue And Education Center
    Harley, the latest big cat to succumb to distemper, died Wednesday night.

    Distemper Outbreak Kills 4th Big Cat: The Associated Press reports another big cat at the In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Education Center in Wylie has died from what’s believed to be canine distemper. An 11-year-old male white tiger named Harley died Wednesday night after his brother, 9-year-old Abrams, died Monday. A 12-year-old male tiger named Apollo and a 17-year-old lioness named Layla died last week. About 20 big cats at the animal sanctuary have been diagnosed with distemper. While they had all been vaccinated against feline distemper, experts believe the canine version was transmitted by raccoons that walk along the animals’ enclosures. [AP via Dallas Morning News]

  • Lee Harvey Oswald’s Parting Gift Up For Auction: Lee Harvey Oswald left his gold wedding band on the bedside table for his wife the morning he assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Now that ring will be up for public auction. The ring was in the custody of the Secret Service before it was transferred to a firm in Fort Worth. Oswald’s wife, Marina Prusaakova, did not want to remain in possession of the ring after it was returned to her some 49 years later. She says “symbolically, I want to let go of my past that is connecting with Nov. 22, 1963.”

  • How To Fix A $122,000 Mistake: Fort Worth officials are trying to figure out how a contractor tore down the wrong home, the Star-Telegram reports. David Underwood, the property owner, says that the home had been in his family for years. Underwood and his wife were planning to move into the home, but discovered that it had been razed after returning from a trip to Boston.

  • Train Like Rocky, Or Train Like An Astronaut: If you’re looking to change up your exercise routine, take some tips from an astronaut. NASA is planning to webcast workouts from space. Although we may not have zero gravity on our side on Earth, astronauts must exercise two-and-a-half hours a day to maintain bone density in space. You can follow along with Houston-trained astronaut Mike Hopkins, who will share his workouts before, during, and after his stay on the International Space Station. [KUHF]
Former KERA staffer Krystina Martinez was an assistant producer. She produced local content for Morning Edition and KERANews.org. She also produced The Friday Conversation, a weekly series of conversations with North Texas newsmakers. Krystina was also the backup newscaster for the Texas Standard.