Five stories that have North Texas talking: Texas Parks and Wildlife gets stolen rock back in the mail; how much Harvey will cost the state; some Texans try Chipotle queso so you don’t have to; and more.
Chalk it up to bad karma or Jiminy Cricket, but a state park visitor had to return a rock she took from the grounds because she said she had rotten luck with it in her possession.
A woman named Maria sent a handwritten note to Texas Parks and Wildlife officials recently for taking a small token from Enchanted Rock State Natural Area — a prehistoric campground north of Fredericksburg.
The parks and wildlife department posted the letter on its Facebook page Monday.
The note reads: “I’m returning this rock to it’s [sic] owner (Enchanted Rock). I’ve had nothing but bad luck since I took it. Sorry I did it. P.S. Not able to do it in person.”
Maria had the right instinct to return the rock. Federal and state laws prohibit collecting plants, animals and artifacts. The parks and wildlife department encourages visitors to “Preserve the past for the future by leaving artifacts in place and reporting locations to park staff.”
Maria didn’t elaborate on her “bad luck” in the note, but perhaps returning the rock gave her peace of mind or at least helped her narrow her leads.
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- Bump stock: Slide Fire Solutions in tiny Moran, Texas is facing scrutiny for one of its main products after a gunman opened fire on Las Vegas concert-goers earlier this month. The shooter had semi-automatic rifles fitted with bump stocks, which allowed him to fire like he had fully automatic weapons. [KERA News]
- Financial blow: The response to Hurricane Harvey will strain Texas’ budget, Comptroller Glenn Hegar said, but it probably won’t damage the state’s economy in the long run. “On the expenditure side, this hurricane event is going to cost more than anything we’ve had before.” [The Texas Tribune]
- Autumn alert: Speaking of Harvey, growing plenty of pumpkins for Texans to celebrate fall was tough for farmers this year because of the state’s extreme weather. [Texas Standard]
- ‘It tastes like they didn’t finish it”: Watch these Texans try Chipotle’s queso. [The Scene]
"It's like cheese fell asleep. It's not fun at all." pic.twitter.com/dsHOR4OPCD
— Iris (@heyiris) October 8, 2017
The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of 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.
