🚘 The most congested roads in DFW

January 8, 2026

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Good morning ☀️

Is a meal for $10 or less a thing anymore? Even fast food has become expensive—the dollar menu items aren’t even a dollar! The Dallas Observer recently released a list of the best cheap eats in the metroplex, saying a $10 budget works for these restaurants. (I wonder if they’re even more affordable joints hidden around the area.)

So tell me, where are you eating with a $10 budget? Send in your best cheap eatery recommendations, and I promise it will stay between us—and the tens of thousands of COURIER DFW readers. 😆 Thanks in advance!

Joi Louviere

Senior Newsletter Editor, COURIER DFW

Trying out Dry January? Find a mocktail at one of these 14 Texas spots

Miss Angeline’s has a large variety of mocktails, including the EspressotiNo, made with Lyre’s Coffee Liqueur, cold brew, and cream. (Courtesy Miss Angeline’s)

By Sierra Rozen

Did you know that Dry January, the alcohol-free phenomenon that takes the world by storm at the beginning of the year, started across the pond in the UK?

Trademarked by Alcohol Change UK, the challenge was officially born in 2013, and now has international partners across the globe, including Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Iceland, France, South Tyrol, the Netherlands, and the US. The challenge is simple: participants abstain from alcohol during the month of January.

According to Dr. Maher Karam-Hage, a medical director at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, giving your body a break from alcohol has numerous benefits, including better sleep and liver regeneration.

Here are some Texas bars with fun mocktails

🛣️ Most congested roads: The Texas A&M Transportation Institute released a list of the most congested roads in 2025, and several North Texas stretches made the list, including Woodall Rogers Fwy/ SS 366, which earned a prominent spot at no. 3. (Axios Dallas)

🤠 Texas law schools go rogue: The American Bar Association will no longer have oversight over Texas law schools. The state is the first to ever take away final decision-making power from the national organization that determines who can take the bar exam. See what this means for the state’s future attorneys. (KERA)

⬇️ The state fair heard you: The State Fair of Texas said that lowering prices will be its biggest focus in 2026. This comes after seeing a dip in attendance numbers and getting lots of criticism on social media. (Dallas Morning News)