⏯️ North Texas water ft. Microplastics

July 29, 2026

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Good morning friends,

Many of you may remember that this newsletter used to have a section on Wednesdays that highlighted the strangest thing I’d seen on Facebook Marketplace that week. Even though I’ve removed that section, I still peruse the listings for funny and unusual treasures. Recently, I saw a board game called Plano-opoly—like Monopoly, but in Plano. A few days later, the algorithm showed me a Dallas-opoly. Where did these come from?!

Apparently, the game board company Late for the Sky started making customized Monopolys decades ago. First, they were themed after different colleges, then they moved on to random topics: Zombies, sharks, more than a dozen dog varieties, and there’s even a Bible-opoly. In recent years, city themes began popping up at local stores, and here we are. It looks like you can still purchase a Dallas-opoly from Target. And of course I checked; there’s a Fort Worth one, too.

Have you seen one for your city? If not, the company still takes custom orders.

And we agree, I have to get my hands on one of these, right? For the journalism, if for nothing else. 😉

Joi Louviere

Senior Newsletter Editor, Courier DFW

Court in the Community offers fresh start on minor offenses for Fort Worth residents

Fort Worth is holding Court in the Community events to help residents with outstanding non-violent misdemeanors, traffic violations, and parking tickets. (Getty Images/Unsplash+)

By Sam Cohen

One of the cornerstones of any successful criminal justice system is encouraging the act of rehabilitation, a fancy way of saying the system should be designed to allow offenders to correct their negative behavior and reenter society safely once they do.

With Court in the Community, the Fort Worth municipal court is doing its part to bridge the gap and maintain a functional version of this system. The city has established a program to help residents with outstanding non-violent misdemeanors, traffic violations, and parking tickets.

The idea behind the initiative is to alleviate the cost and restrictions placed on those who are unable to pay their fines or show up for required court dates.

Here’s how it works

🧫 It’s not fantastic: Local researchers have found that nearly all of North Texas’ waterways are contaminated with microplastics—yes, tiny pieces of plastic. Water samples from 77 bodies of water, including the Trinity River, revealed the hazard, and it’ll take lawmakers to clean up the issue. (KERA)

🚸 Early starts for Dallas ISD: Twenty Dallas elementary and middle schools will start their school year early today. To prepare for more traffic, here’s a list of the schools that are back and busy. (Dallas Morning News)

🪴 The next Collin County: Parker County is showing signs of becoming one of Texas’ next big growth builders. Home to Weatherford and Aledo, Parker grew its population by 21% from 2020 to 2024, outpacing Collin County’s growth rate. Here’s why. (Housing Wire)

🔑 Homeownership help: With homeownership out of reach for so many North Texans, the Southern Dallas Progress Community Development Corporation is hosting a homeownership fair on Saturday, featuring 30 different lenders and finance professionals. Get the details here. (Dallas Weekly)