Five stories that have North Texas talking: rare Bonnie and Clyde items are for sale; Torchy’s Tacos defends its signature phrase; Trump’s wall could do damage to this Texas wildlife refuge; and more.
Relics from the legendary West Dallas criminals, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, are heading to auction this summer. Local media were given a preview of the items at the historic United States Post Office and Courthouse in downtown Dallas on Monday. Buddy Barrow, Clyde Barrow’s nephew, and Rhea Leen Linder, Parker's niece, were present for the one-day event.
Boston-based RR Auction will sell the following items at the Gangsters, Outlaws, and Lawmen auction, running from June 15-22:
- Bonnie’s silver-toned, three-headed snake ring with green and red jewels, crafted for her by Clyde while he was imprisoned in Texas.
- Bonnie’s blood-caked glasses dating back to May 23, 1934, when she and Clyde were ambushed and killed on a Louisiana road.
- Original Texas arrest warrants for Bonnie and Clyde — both wanted for murder — dated Nov. 28, 1933. These were removed from Sheriff Smoot Schmid’s personal scrapbook.
- Richard “Smoot” Schmid was Dallas County Sheriff at the time of Bonnie and Clyde as well as Raymond Hamilton, who committed crimes with Parker and Barrow. Schmid’s scrapbook, boots and gold and diamond badge are all up for auction.
- Ray Hamilton’s original photograph electrocution sermon program, a letter autographed by him from 1934 and a hotel bill.
- Clyde Barrow’s original mug shot photograph and a letter autographed by him and Bonnie.
Click through photos of the items in the gallery above and learn more about the young outlaws in love from the PBS archives. [KERA News]
- Is there any evidence to back up the claim that Senate Bill 6 would keep Texans safe? Introduced as the Privacy Protection Act, the "bathroom bill" would bar people from using restrooms or locker rooms in schools and other government buildings that don’t match the gender on their birth certificates. Opponents say it’s discriminatory, but an argument in favor of the bill is that it’s a public safety measure. The evidence to support that argument is largely anecdotal. One researcher is collecting data to add clarity and rigor to the debate. KERA’s Chris Connelly investigates this question as part ofTexas Decides, a series produced in cooperation with the Texas Station Collaborative. [KERA News]
- A battle over the phrase "damn good tacos" is headed to federal court in Colorado. Austin-based Torchy's Tacos says that a Fort Collins restaurant called Dam Good Tacos infringed on its trademarked catchphrase. Torchy's registered its "Damn Good Tacos" tagline with the U.S Patent and Trademark office in 2008, about two years after the Colorado operation launched. The Colorado taco seller uses a different spelling of the same phrase. Torchy's sent a cease and desist letter to Dam Good Tacos in November and offered financial assistance with a name change. The Colorado taco restaurant declined. Torchy's tells The Coloradoan newspaper that the company was left with no choice but to file suit. [The Associated Press]
- President Trump’s border wall could bisect a Texas wildlife refuge, causing an ecological disaster. About two-thirds, or 1,350 miles, of the border from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf Coast remains unfenced. Activists in Texas who’ve been tracking construction over the years think part of the proposed wall will bisect the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Santa Rosa, Texas, according to Vox. The refuge is home to 19 federally threatened and endangered species, and 57 state protected species, and altering their environment would cause a greater threat to their survival. And the wall would be built inside the Rio Grande floodplain, making the area and the native animals vulnerable to flooding. [Vox]
- Longtime photo editor at The Dallas Morning News, Guy Reynolds has new work about Meals on Wheels — and maybe a new lease on life. Reynolds was one of the last to use the dark room at the Morning News, and as an editor he had to give up everyday camerawork. But the iPhone quickly improved its lens, and Reynolds reluctantly opened an Instagram account. While volunteering for Meals on Wheels, delivering food to impoverished residents of Dallas, Reynolds documented the subjects and scenes of his three different routes — shots of boarded windows, stray dogs and shy recipients of the weekly service. Learn more about Reynolds and his work in the Artist Spotlight. [Art&Seek]
The High Five is KERA's daily roundup of news stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.
