Happy Wednesday 🥞

Is anyone ever sure about what you can and can’t recycle? Thankfully, a reporter at the Dallas Morning News shared some clarity with us. The biggest takeaways were:

Keep scrolling for a weather forecast and to answer today’s poll question. 

Pecan shellers in San Antonio sought better pay and more favorable working conditions. (Russell Lee/CC0 1.0)

By Joey Held

Texas is approaching its 200th anniversary of becoming a state, and there’s already plenty of rich history to be found. One of the more interesting components of the Lone Star State’s past is the evolution of various unions and labor groups.

These labor unions typically sought better pay, more favorable conditions, and additional benefits for their workers.

Local news is essential for democracy.

Our reporting cuts through false narratives, documents what’s actually happening in our communities, and provides voters with the clear, factual information they need—especially when the stakes are high.

🎁 Tex’ new boots: A Dallas native has won the State Fair of Texas’s 2026 Big Tex Boot Design Contest. She’ll now work with a Lucchese Bootmaker to turn her design into a real pair of size 96 boots for Big Tex. Get a sneak peak of the pair here. 

🏅 A good neighbor: Meet Fort Worth’s Neighbor of the Year and see the other awards the city of Fort Worth doled out this month, including Neighborhood of the Year. (Fort Worth Report)

📱 Recycle & save the gorillas: Bring your old phones and chargers on your next visit to the Dallas Zoo. These electronics have a mineral called coltan, which is mined in regions where gorillas live. Mining leads to habitat loss and increases the poaching risks for gorillas and other wildlife. Learn more here. (Dallas Zoo)

American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson embraces Idol contestants at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Ca., Sept. 4, 2002. (photo by Kevin Winter/ImageDirect)

Singer, talk show host, and North Texas native Kelly Clarkson recently revealed that she never got the $1 million promised when she won season one of “American Idol” in 2002. She said she didn’t get the car that was promised either. In light of recent documentaries exposing the real deal of reality shows like “America’s Next Top Model” and “The Biggest Loser,” what other competition reality shows do you think should be exposed?

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Joi Louviere with reporting by Joey Held and editing by Brook Bolen.

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