Hey y’all,

I was reading this Grand Prairie renter’s perspective on living in DFW and gasped when she mentioned that the average North Texan spent 69 hours in traffic in 2024. 🫢 That’s not your total time in the car, just the amount of time you’re slowed or stalled. With the rising cost of gas, I’m wondering if y’all have reduced your time in the car. If so, let me know what you’re doing to save money. 

North Texas teen Cooper Lutkenhaus became the 800-meter world indoor champion on Sunday. (sporlab/Unsplash)

By Sam Cohen

Justin native Cooper Lutkenhaus became a world champion on Sunday when he placed first in the 800-meter final at the World Indoor Championships. The 17-year-old, who attends Northwest High School, completed the dash in 1 minute, 44.24 seconds. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Lutkenhaus is now the youngest world champion ever for both indoor and outdoor individual events. Previously, Ethiopia’s Mohammed Aman was the youngest world champion after he placed first in the 800-meter final in 2012. He was 18 years old at the time.

Lutkenhaus also became the youngest person to win an individual medal of any color at the World Indoor Championships—in the entire history of the competition!—with his impressive run time. The Dallas Morning News lauded his performance in the 800-meter as “one of the most remarkable accomplishments in the history of track and field.” Not too shabby for a high school junior who has steadily gained momentum in his athletic pursuits recently.

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🥖 Frisco baker on talk show: A home baker who sells breads and cookies from the front lawn of her Frisco home, using the honor system, was recently featured on the Kelly Clarkson Show. Watch a clip here.

🐈 Garland’s great cat rescue: More than 60 cats were rescued from a Garland home last week after being found in “deplorable” conditions. The Garland Animal Shelter is nursing many of these animals back to health and is accepting donations, as well as fielding potential foster and adoptive homes for the cats once they’re healthy. (People)

🛣️ New tollway, new possibilities: Prosper is making big plans to take advantage of with the Dallas North Tollway expansion, extending to the edge of the town by fall 2027. See what town officials are cooking up here. (Community Impact)

This is your weekly rundown of upcoming protests, rallies, and other need-to-know gatherings around Texas.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Joi Louviere with reporting by Sam Cohen and editing by Paula Solis.

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