The State of Texas: March 29, 2016

Quote of the Day

“Bush did 9/11 but he did me a solid and left me a hella tip.”

– Leisa (@leisaiscool) on Twitter, along with a photo of the waitress standing next to George and Laura Bush. George W. ordered a burger and onion rings (no mustard) before leaving Leisa a nearly 200 percent tip. Leisa joked about it on Twitter, referencing the popular conspiracy meme. Apparently people took her tweet too seriously–Leisa was forced to tweet out a “statement” assuring the Twittersphere that she does not actually think Bush was responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. Welcome to the Internet, kid.

Daily Roundup

A Lot Less Ocelots—Hunted by fur trappers, hit by cars, held captive by humans. Such is the plight of the South Texas ocelot. Writes the McAllen Monitor: “Ocelots, as you’re no doubt wondering right now, make awful pets. ‘They’re super cute when they’re small and you can cuddle them,’ biologist Hilary Swarts says. ‘Then they start to grow up and they want to take your face right off your head, and they want to shred all your furniture. They want to eat your dog. They want to do all kinds of things that are terrible.'” Swarts told the Monitor that there are about 80 ocelots prowling this side of the border in the Rio Grande Valley, but as the area booms with human development, the natural habitat for the big cats is shrinking. According to Swarts, 95 percent of the ocelots’ habitat is already gone. The lone ray of hope for the ocelot comes, strangely, from the Texas Department of Transportation, which is retrofitting the region’s highways with fences and underpasses designed as “wildlife crossing areas.”

Throwback Jerseys—ESPN announced on Monday that it will be re-broadcasting the 1966 NCAA men’s basketball championship this Wednesday. Not only was that game the last time a Texas team won the tournament, but it was also the first time a team did so while starting five African-Americans. It was a historic moment for sports when Texas Western (now UTEP) beat Kentucky, and though the victory was immortalized in Disney form ten years ago, according to the New York Times, “the game has rarely if ever been seen on television since its original broadcast on March 19, 1966.” Until now. Well, sort of. Apparently, the broadcast may not actually be the original televised production, but rather a reel of coach’s film shot by one of the teams. No matter, because ESPN is rolling out the red carpet anyway. Network stalwarts John Saunders, Jay Bilas and Michael Wilbon will host the pregame, halftime and post game shows; President Barack Obama recorded a special tribute message that will be broadcast at some point during the presentation; and former Texas Western center David Lattin will stop by for an interview. His grandson, Khadeem, just happens to be playing in the Final Four this season with Oklahoma. Historically speaking, it’ll be a pretty cool thing for the latter Lattin, but it’ll also be a nice homecoming, since Khadeem was born and raised in Houston, which is hosting the 2016 championship.

Shaking In Our Boots— A new U.S. Geological Survey says Dallas-Fort Worth is a whole lot more likely to experience an earthquake than it was a few years ago. “That risk has grown tenfold since 2008, when the area began experiencing a surge of mild to moderate-sized quakes,” the Dallas Morning News writes. “North Texas’ earthquake hazard is now on par with parts of Oklahoma and California.” Although a large quake can’t be ruled out, the chance of a truly impactful earthquake is still low, the chances hovering around 1 to 5 percent. Even if an earthquake were to happen, the quake’s magnitude would likely not cause more than some cracks in a few buildings. But as WFAA notes, “for the first time the map shows the risk not just from naturally occurring quakes, but human-induced ones as well.” Per WFAA, a recent Southern Methodist University study found fracking to be the most likely reason for clusters of quakes in three North Texas counties a few years back. But did the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas, take the scientific findings to heart? Naw. Instead, it said the study was “not sufficient to reach a conclusion” last September.