The State of Texas: Are the Longhorns back?

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [Talk Like a Texan podcast: Listen Now!]( [Texas Monthly]( October 10, 2018 QUOTE OF THE DAY "Dallas gets criticized—fairly, perhaps—for not appreciating or recognizing its history. All of it. But this is an example where Dallas is actually on the forefront of something, for once." —Mark Doty, Dallas City Hall's chief historic preservation officer , to the Dallas Morning News. On Wednesday, [a historical marker]( will be placed in front of JR's Bar & Grill in Oak Lawn. That will make Dallas the first city in the state to receive an official Texas Historical Commission marker acknowledging a gay and lesbian community. THE LATEST Are the Longhorns Back? JOHN NOVA LOMAX Depends on what you mean by back. But most of y’all need to slow your roll. [Read more.]( MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS... Masked Bandit [via [KXAN](] A raccoon fell through the ceiling of the police department in Bedford this month, leading officers on an hours-long chase. Surveillance footage shows officers armed with nets pursuing the suspect on foot through the building. After nine hours, police apprehended the masked bandit. We’ll feature our favorite piece of weird news here each Wednesday. Tomorrow, and every Thursday, tune in for our weekly news quiz! [Talk Like a Texan podcast: Listen Now!]( OUR TOP STORIES [Richard Linklater Political Ad Pokes Fun at Ted Cruz]( The video ad reminds viewers of Donald Trump’s Ted Cruz insults and of Cruz failing to act "Texas Tough." [Read more.]( [Take A First Look at Aaron Franklin’s Steak Cookbook]( In April, the pitmaster and Jordan Mackay will follow up their barbecue best-seller with recipes and tips for grilling their favorite cuts. [Read more.]( [Root, Root, Root for the Amarillo Sod Poodles]( When the finalists for Amarillo’s new Double-A baseball team were announced, they raised eyebrows. But thanks to a catchy song, sod poodles are winning over Amarilloans. [Read more.]( THE STATE OF TEXAS Struck Down A federal judge in Texas [struck down the Indian Child Welfare Act](, a federal law aimed at keeping Native American families together. Chad and Jennifer Brackeen sued last October for the right to adopt a Native American child they had been fostering for over a year. Their adoption petition was denied by a state court under a forty-year-old federal law that prioritizes biological family members, other tribe members, or Native American families in the adoption of Native American children. The Brackeens have since adopted the child, but the case gained steam. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled in favor of three states—Texas, Indiana, and Louisiana—in striking down the law. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that the law "elevates a child’s race over their best interest," according to the Texas Tribune. Town Hall We've got [yet another round]( of he said-he said between the Cruz and O'Rourke campaigns over debate schedules. CNN announced on Tuesday that after Senator Ted Cruz turned down the chance to participate in a town hall, it will be all eyes on his challenger, Beto O'Rourke. The news outlet said in a statement that Cruz "declined CNN's invitation to participate in the town hall," but his campaign said that wasn't the full story. "To be clear, the Cruz campaign proposed that @CNN host one of the Cruz-O’Rourke debates," Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe tweeted. "The O’Rourke campaign declined. @CNN subsequently offered back to back town halls, in which we are unable to participate." O'Rourke's town hall will be held on October 18 in McAllen. One Million Bees in Your Bonnet Well, this is horrifying: a pest control company [removed an estimated one million]( Africanized honey bees—also known by the much more terrifying name killer bees—from a home in southwest Houston. "This was worse than hell, there was only one job that got me worse than this," Claude Griffin, the owner of Gotcha Pest Control, told the Houston Chronicle. Griffin said he was stung over forty times as he removed the two giant honeycombs, which he estimated were between nine and twelve feet tall. The hives were in the home of an elderly woman, whose house had fallen into such disrepair that the Houston City Council intervened. "It would bring you to tears, man," Griffin said of her living conditions. TRAVEL & OUTDOORS [Meet the Next Generation of Texas Hunters]( MIKE LEGGETT AND CHARLEY LOCKE Austin’s Greater Calvary Bible Church believes the sport is a training ground for essential life lessons. Here’s how the congregation’s efforts defy hunting trends across the state. [Read more.]( [Stay Roped in with Rodeo Report]( [Stay Roped in with Rodeo Report]( Get an inside look into the high-intensity world that combines talented athletes with horses and livestock, steep competition, old-school traditions, and family fun. Rodeo Report’s coverage from the PRCA circuit includes competitor updates, performance analysis, and behind-the-scenes stories of triumphs, challenges, injuries, and rerides.Read More]( [Talk Like a Texan podcast: Listen Now!]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [A Texas Woman’s Song Mocking Trump’s “Scary Time for Young Men” Comment Goes Viral]( DANIEL VAUGHN [From Dirndls to Lederhosen, Fredericksburg Turns Out in True Oktoberfest Style]( LAUREN SMITH FORD [Lisa Loeb: “Having a Huge Hit Is Amazing. I’m Not Angry at It at All.”]( ANDY LANGER [Say hello to our fall collection. 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