Good morning, North Texas,

It’s Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, and if you’re thinking about adopting an animal, now’s a good time. Over the last two years, I’ve shared with you the constant crisis that animal shelters in the metro and nationally are facing. This hasn’t been just a result of poor animal control by cities and a decrease in spaying and neutering, but also an influx of pet abandonment after Americans adopted pets at high rates during the pandemic.

Now, amid financial strain, housing instability, and post-pandemic life changes, fur babies are getting returned to shelters, and city animal services are overcrowded and overwhelmed.

If you’re in a position to adopt (or foster), here are a few places to check out, besides the SPCA or Humane Society.

😿 This North Richland Hills cat cafe has been helping get felines adopted for nine years now, but may have to close down because of rising rent costs. Adopting here could help expedite their work if the business does close soon. They’re also accepting GoFundMe donations to help them stay open.

🐶 CuppaPug in Frisco allows you to play with rescue pugs who also need to be adopted. While adoption is the ultimate goal, paying for a playtime supports continued rescue work.

🐾 Dallas Animal Services recently reported that it was 100% over capacity. They have several adoption events coming up, and you can also look into fostering, even if just for a weekend.

On a positive note, I’m happy to report that Fort Worth’s shelter system is housing animals at an impressive rate! 🙌

Make sure you open my Tuesday newsletter to see our new political editor, Brian McManus’ new rescue puppy. Oh, and you can formally meet him, too. 😆

Joi Louviere

Senior Newsletter Editor, COURIER DFW

Dallas’ Longhorn Ballroom is ready for its second act

The Longhorn Ballroom is steeped in decades of music history. (Renegomezphotography/CC BY-SA 4.0)

By Sam Cohen

The Longhorn Ballroom has seen its fair share of history. It first opened in 1950 under the name “Bob Wills’ Ranch House,” as it was originally built for country music icon and “King of Western Swing” Bob Wills, along with his Texas Playboys. Back then it was a honky tonk dance hall where people went to cut loose and listen to some tunes.

During a stretch of those first few years, the Ranch House was managed by, if you can believe it, Jack Ruby. This was almost a decade before Ruby made headlines for killing Lee Harvey Oswald, President John F. Kennedy’s assassin. Before all of that violence, Ruby was celebrated in 1954 for bringing Nat King Cole to perform in Dallas. It was an epic feat considering Jim Crow laws were still being strictly enforced in the city, but those rules didn’t apply to the Ranch House.

See the venue’s biggest performers + recent changes

Azzi Fudd throws a ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees at Globe Life Field on April 28, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. Fudd was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2026 WNBA Draft. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

🌶️ Spicy Texans only: If you like a lot of heat when you eat, check out this list of Fort Worth area restaurants and menu items that offer delicious, spicy selections. (Fort Worth Magazine)

⛈️ El Niño’s return: El Niño, a weather pattern that affects wind and ocean surface temperatures, may return to Texas this summer, meaning the possibility of a very wet season. Read more here.

💉 Ketamine crackdown: The Texas Medical Board wants regulations around ketamine, a fast-acting sedative used to treat mental illness that’s growing in popularity. The drug can be administered at home, with a medical provider checking in online, but the board wants a medical professional doling it out to avoid Ketamine poisoning, like in the case of the deceased “Friends” actor Matthew Perry. Med spas have a different take.