Hey y’all,

If you’ve ever seen people protesting on a bridge as you travel across the highway underneath it, know that it’s a coordinated effort. All across the metro, folks aren’t just waking up and deciding to take an old protest poster board out to sunburn and yell for honks; these demonstrations are a way that everyday people can activate their neighbors.

Recently, a Dallas Observer reporter met up with a regular protester to see how these events usually go down. The topics can change by the day or week. This day, the message was around privacy violations from surveillance systems, like Flock cameras. Other times, it’s been about the Iran War, Trump’s power abuses, or general messages against hate.

One participant said these bridge meetups are a way he lets out his frustrations, but from my journalist lens, it also seems like a constructive way to insist that folks don’t turn away or become numb to the onslaught of dysfunction and tragedy that are a part of our current realities.

Desensitization is real. My colleagues and I struggle with it more than we’d like to admit. But we have to push through and refuse to normalize 19-year-olds killed in vague war plans, law-abiding fathers murdered over a misunderstanding, or mothers dying from antiquated healthcare policies and unchecked institutional bias. Let’s splash some cold water on our faces—we have about 100 days till the midterm election.

Joi Louviere

Senior Newsletter Editor, Courier DFW

Foster Grandparent Program strengthens Texas communities—one child at a time

The Foster Grandparent Program is currently seeking new volunteers. (Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash)

By Sam Cohen

Making a difference in the life of someone in your community can take many forms. Donations to local food banks help families make ends meet and ensure that no one goes hungry. Volunteering provides a similar sense of hope, just through a different lens, and Texas’ Foster Grandparent Program is a shining example of that.

The program pairs adults 55 years of age and older with children who are facing circumstances at home that may impact their emotional, social, or academic development, or who have specific needs requiring extra help to better manage.

A key difference between this position and being a foster parent is that foster grandparents don’t provide housing to these children, nor do the foster grandparents care for the kids in their own homes.

Here’s how it works →

🍎 Crunch Time ISD: Last week it was reported that more than 1,000 Fort Worth ISD teachers and staff had resigned since the state officially took over the district in March. Now, less than three weeks from the start of the school year, there are still 20 classroom vacancies. (The Fort Worth Report)

🪭 Where to cool off: If you or someone you know is struggling with ineffective A/C during this time of extreme heat, here are some cooling centers around North Texas. Also, keep this list on hand for any unhoused Texans you may encounter throughout the season. (Yahoo)

🛬 The biggest, the largest: American Airlines is working on the largest airport lounge in its history and, you guessed it, it’s all for DFW Airport. Terminal C will house the 37,000-square-foot Admirals Club lounge, which is said to have a variety of seating options, including a dedicated workspace. (Chron)

🫀 McKinney’s AED challenge: After a cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR or defibrillation reduces a person’s survival rate by 10%, so the City of McKinney and Baylor Scott & White are teaming up to make sure every McKinney resident has a lifesaving defibrillator within four minutes of them. (WFAA)

💎 Cowtown honored: “World-class,” “stylish,” and “innovative” are words used to describe Fort Worth as Travel + Leisure announced the city had ranked No. 6 on its “America’s Best Cities” list. The analysis praised the hotels, the museums, the charming shops, and even gave a nod to the vegan food scene. Read more here, including what other Texas City wasn’t too far behind on the list. (Paper City Magazine)

◀️ Just kidding, Allen: A few days ago it looked like Allen’s popular entertainment district The HUB had suddenly closed. Now, it seems the space has new ownership, and the venue should reopen soon. (WFAA)