Morning y’all 👋

Here are three interesting statistics I ran across this week.

❗ The largest private landowner in Texas has amassed more acreage than the entire state of Rhode Island. Peak here to see which states the Boy Scouts of America and the Mormon Church have dominated in land ownership.

❗ The latest US Census Bureau estimates that 339 people move to DFW every day.

❗ Texas is not as much of a gun-toting state as people think—we’re actually pretty far down on the list. Who’s most likely to be packing heat? Well, that’d be Montana.

Now, scroll for weed news, cute tiger cubs, and a Texas judge who went viral for being a jerk.

Joi Louviere

Senior Newsletter Editor, COURIER DFW

Should Texas stop electing its judges?

Judge Nathan Milliron dresses down an IT worker in his courtroom.

By Brian McManus

When video of Republican Harris County civil court Judge Nathan Milliron began circulating online last week, the reaction was swift. Viewers watched as Milliron, frustrated by a tech issue he couldn’t solve, relies on an IT guy, who fixes it with a few simple clicks.

“False alarm,” the IT worker says, attempting, it appears, to relieve the growing tension.

“No, it wasn’t a false alarm!” Milliron barks back, before demanding “Get out of my courtroom!”

“Find his supervisor,” Milliron then says to no one in particular. “Jesus Christ! I’m sick and tired of this bullshit today.”

The condemnation that followed was robust, with outlets as far-flung as the New York Post calling Milliron a “jerk judge.”

Believe it or not, it’s only been downhill from there for Milliron.

Keep reading →

🍃 Stop, drop, and roll: An emergency hearing is set for today over the ban of smokable hemp products in Texas, which went into effect on March 31. The loss of flower sales has led to furloughs and major profit loss across the 8,000 cannabis businesses statewide, and some shop owners have banded together to call for a stop to a ban that wasn’t implemented by a Texas Legislature vote. (CBS)

🍕 Texas’ best pizza: This Lewisville pizza shop has won best pizza in Texas for the second year in a row. They serve Detroit-style pizza, which means rectangular pies with a thick focaccia-like crust. (WFAA)

🤧 Allergens decreasing: After today, North Texas will see a decrease in allergens across the board, at least for a little while. Get a complete allergen report here. (AccuWeather)

🐯 Name the newborn: Dallas Zoo tigers Suki and Kuasa became the proud parents of a male and female cubs a few weeks ago and now the zoo is asking for your helping naming one. While the staff has plans to name the brother, the sister is relying on zoo patrons. Cast your vote here with a donation of any amount. (Dallas Zoo)

🔑 Affordable housing: An affordable housing apartment community is underway in Denton. One- to four-bedroom apartments will be offered to those making 30% to 70% of the area’s median income—for Denton, that’s anywhere from $34,000 to $79,000 a year. (NBC 5)

🏌️ Big drive: Meet the 11-year-old Grand Prairie boy who won his division in an Augusta, Georgia, golf competition. He won with 29 points. (WFAA)