Morning North Texas,

Over the weekend, a large fire broke out in the Dallas County community of Sand Branch. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because that unincorporated area made headlines earlier this year because of its decades-long fight for clean water—it’s worse than Flint, Michigan.

Sand Branch was once a thriving freedman’s town—a place where newly freed Black folks started communities after the Emancipation Proclamation—and now consists of about 100 homes of mostly elderly residents who live without typical water or sewer systems and can’t afford to move. What they do have is well water contaminated by their septic system, so they rely heavily on bottled water brought in by nonprofits. This has been an issue since the 1980s. 

So when a fire broke out late Saturday night, county firefighters were met with an unusual hurdle—instead of hooking up their hoses to fire hydrants, rescue teams had to bring water in on tanker trucks. The fire was finally contained after burning for more than a day, and its cause is still unknown as of Monday morning.

And the big question resurfaces once more: Why won’t Dallas County invest in Sand Branch, its own land, and its own people? The county said that because of severe flood risk, new homes can’t be built on the land, so the tiny community that’s there isn’t worth the expense required to revitalize the infrastructure that was once there. But there’s got to be another way forward that keeps the people safe. And this fire surfaces a new risk worth considering in this conversation. 

I’ll keep you updated with ways to help this community after the ashes settle. In the meantime, learn more about the rich and devastating history of Sand Branch here.

Bunny the cat takes a cozy cat nap at the Bubble Cat Café. (Bubble Cat Café)

By Sydni Ellis

Animal lovers, we just found your new paradise in DFW: cat cafés!

Think Starbucks, but you’re meeting the cutest crew of cats for a drink instead of human friends. Cat cafés are less a snacky destination and more a place to destress with delightful cats—who just so happen to be open for adoption. Go in for a coffee and come home with a new furry family member!

Dallas has been known for its huge growth in pet adoptions in recent years, so it’s no surprise that the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has five cat cafés. These serve as calming environments to get to know cats or just relax after work surrounded by your favorite animal.

Last week, WalletHub released its Best Real Estate Markets in 2026 list, and four cities in North Texas were featured in the Top 10, with one taking the no. 1 spot. 

The rankings were determined by more than a dozen factors, including the average days homes are on the market, the area population growth rate,  and the amount of newly built homes. 

The Grocery Clearance Center has a mix of dry goods, cold, and frozen items. (Joi Louviere/ Courier Texas)

Before Aldi and H-E-B spinoff Joe V’s, Dallasites got grocery deals at the 33-year-old Grocery Clearance Center in southern Dallas. At the corner of W. Kiest Boulevard and S. Cockrell Hill Road, a low-stress shopping experience awaits. The clearance center has long benefitted from rough deliveries and packaged items that had just expired from typical grocery store shelves. Here’s how it works.

During a recent visit, I saw a bit of everything. There were basics like milk, butter, rice, and canned goods, but also saw more niche buys like energy drinks, protein powders, and high-end snacks. In my search, I saw items that were probably from Walmart and lots of stuff that was clearly from Sprout’s. There’s a section of cosmetics and chocolate, and freezers with massive bags of onion rings and tater tots suggest Restaurant Depot might be one of the suppliers as well.

To address what you probably really want to know: Yes, you would save money shopping here. Here are a few examples: A 350 ml bottle of Graza olive oil usually runs between $10-15, but at the clearance center it was $6.99. Eight ounces of Kerrygold butter retails between $4.99-5.99, and here it was $2.89. A big bar of Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate costs $5.29 at Target, and they were $2.99 here. Lastly, Late July chips start at $4.17 at Walmart, and here they were $1.99. 

Don’t Sleep On is a weekly series where I shout out DFW events and businesses I think you should try. Have a suggestion? Reply to this email.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Joi Louviere with reporting by Sydni Ellis. It was edited by Kimberly Lawson.

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