Barnacles! I mean, good morning.

No, I’m not a marine geek or a SpongeBob fan (hi millennials), but I am fascinated with the City of Dallas’ new way to get delinquent parking tickets paid—barnacles. That’s the name for the device the city has invested $50,000 in, a suctioned folder of sorts that adheres to your windshield when those tickets are overdue.

Here’s the how and why:

👉 If you have three or more unpaid parking tickets in a year, you could be barnacled. You’ll come out to your car one day and find the device and a note explaining what you need to do to free your windshield from this metal leech.

👉 You’ll have to make a payment online or over the phone, and then you’ll receive a code to unlock the device.

👉 Part of your payment includes the $100 fee 🫨 for the use of the barnacle, AND you’ll have to authorize a temporary hold on your account of $300 until the device is returned to a drop-off station—and there’s only one.

👉 The city says they’re trying this as an alternative to towing, but if it takes you longer than 24 hours to detach your barnacle, you’ll probably get towed anyway.

This sure is an expensive process for not feeding the meters or ignoring zoning signs. This system starts Monday, so if you’re a parking perpetrator, make that payment today.

Joi Louviere

Managing Newsletter Editor, Courier DFW

UT Dallas team builds smart sensor to sniff out dangerous bacteria in food

Researchers at UT Dallas are developing a new food safety sensor to better detect contaminants. (Getty Images/Unsplash+)

By Sam Cohen

There has been an increase in illnesses caused by different types of bacteria in food over the last few months, the most notable of which being the ongoing Cyclospora outbreak, which is impacting residents across Texas, particularly in the southern region of the state.

New cases of salmonella have also been reported, making it a tough time to figure out what food is okay to eat and what isn’t.

As UT Dallas Ph.D. student Kundan Mishra put it, the question on everyone’s mind is, “Is the food that you are eating actually safe?” It’s something that Mishra and fellow researcher Bianca David—who is also a Ph. D. student at UT Dallas—are trying to help answer with greater ease.

The duo are working alongside a group of researchers to develop a portable food safety sensor known as READ, short for Rapid Electro-Analytical Device.

Here’s how the sensor works

📹 FWISD on camera: In the midst of its state takeover, Fort Worth ISD’s lowest-performing school will now have live web cameras broadcasting classroom activities. The district says the cameras are to allow students to follow along in class when they’re out of the room for behavioral issues, but a parent group has major safety concerns. (Fort Worth Report)

🎼 Drummer dies during tour: Frank Beard, a founding member of the iconic Houston-born rock band ZZ Top, died this week at 77, while the band was in the middle of a nationwide tour. The band canceled a couple of upcoming tour dates, but said it would resume the tour soon, including the Irving concert in October.

💽 Is Prosper next? A development nicknamed “Project Tomahawk” would bring a $500 million data center to northwest Prosper. The developers should present at an upcoming city council meeting, but there’s no word on the date. (WFAA)

🍲 Culinary angel: After retiring from 20 years of working as an executive chef, an East Dallas man has launched a nonprofit called Soup Angels, feeding unhoused folks across the city. Here’s how he’s getting 1,500 containers of hardy, homemade soup to folks in need. (KERA)

🐕‍🦺 Doggone, he’s a winner: DFW airport’s TSA dog, Bolt, has made it to the finals of the national TSA Cutest Canine Contest. The three-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer beat out cuties from Orlando and St. Louis and will learn if he’s crowned the winner on Wednesday. See him here. (WFAA)

🍔 Buns for the bank: There’s still time to take advantage of Fort Worth Burger Week, where more than 30 local restaurants are offering delicious $8 burger deals. And the best part is that a portion of the proceeds from these sales goes to Tarrant Area Food Bank. Get the details here.