This Wichita Falls Coffee Shop Says Its ‘Unicorn Frappe’ Came Out Well Before Starbucks

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Wichita Falls coffee shop makes its own “unicorn frappe’; doctors hope to release Bush 41 from the hospital soon; mosquito season is coming; and more.

You could have had a locally made “Unicorn Frappe” more than a month before Starbucks released its brightly colored, sweet and sour drink. A coffee shop in Wichita Falls concocted its own Unicorn Frappe the day before International Women’s Day on March 8. Jessica Edwards, co-owner of Frank & Joe's Coffee House, tells Times Record News: "We wanted to create something entirely girly." The drink is a strawberry frappuccino with a homemade triple-berry whipped cream topping and sprinkles. It’s the coffee house’s most popular drink; last Saturday, 250 were sold.

Starbucks introduced its new frappuccino on April 19 — and perhaps to no surprise, it was largely polarizing. A 19-year-old barista in Colorado posted a (now-deleted) video on Twitter after his shift on that Wednesday, complaining that it was difficult to keep up with orders, and he's "never been so stressed out" in his life, according to The Associated Press. Edwards said she watched a Starbucks barista make it and noticed the drink was created with a pink powder. Frank & Joe's drink is naturally colored from juice. [Times Record News, The Associated Press]

• George H.W. Bush remains hospitalized in Houston dealing with effects of chronic bronchitis.  The 92-year-old former president has been staying at Methodist Hospital since April 14. He was diagnosed with pneumonia last week, but has since recovered, family spokesman Jim McGrath said Tuesday. Doctors will continue to monitor Bush’s cough and breathing with the hopes of releasing him by the end of this week. Bush spent 16 days in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia in January. [KERA News]

• Uber has chosen North Texas as testing ground for flying vehicles. The company announced Tuesday that Dallas and Fort Worth are the first U.S. partner cities joining its “Uber Elevate Network.” The company hopes to have the first demonstration of how the vehicles would work by 2020, The Texas Tribune reports. Both Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price are behind the plan, which comes as the company reels from billions in losses last year and a series of scandals. [The Texas Tribune]

• Mosquito season is coming, and Texas still isn’t out of the woods when it comes to Zika. As KUT reports, public health officials are more prepared this time around — a good thing because Zika didn’t go anywhere. Locally transmitted cases popped up near the border with Mexico during the winter months, which means the disease lingered in the local mosquito population. Zika can cause birth defects if a woman is exposed to it while pregnant. Last year, there were 312 cases reported in Texas. [KUT]

• You really need to see inside this former Neiman Marcus fashion executive’s Dallas apartment. Derrill Osborn, 75, has lived in his Oak Lawn abode for 30 years, over which he has outfitted every nook and cranny with green felt walls, first-edition books and hundreds of  antiques. Osborn invited Texas Monthly into his not-so-humble apartment 102 recently. The man himself has a pretty interesting story, too. Wipe your feet and make yourself at home. [Texas Monthly]

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.