Labor Day 2025 is here, which means backyard barbecues, last-chance summer getaways-and plenty of confusion about what’s open. Most big retailers like Walmart, Target, and Home Depot will happily take your money as usual, though Aldi, Sam’s Club, and Hobby Lobby will kick you out early. Costco, ever the contrarian, is shutting its doors completely. Pharmacies, dollar stores, and grocery chains like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods will mostly stick to regular hours, but don’t expect to pick up mail or cash a check-post offices, FedEx/UPS delivery, and banks are all closed. Translation: shop till you drop, but do it before the fireworks, not after.

More than a dozen Texas college football teams are trading smack talk for solidarity, adding helmet stickers to honor victims of July’s deadly Hill Country floods. The design shows Texas wrapped in a green ribbon, a quiet nod to the 130 lives lost-including 27 children at Camp Mystic. Programs from TCU to Texas A\&M have joined in, proving that even rivals can agree on compassion. No word yet on how long the stickers will stay, but for now, football comes second to remembrance.

Texas schools are back in session, and for some kids, the new grade level feels less like a fresh start and more like hitting a wall. Parents who notice their child struggling can request an Individualized Education Program (IEP) - essentially a custom game plan for learning. The process runs from referral and testing to a big team meeting where parents, teachers, and specialists hash out what the child needs. The final step is crafting the IEP itself, a tailored roadmap to help students succeed. Translation: if your kid needs extra support, there’s a formal way to make sure they get it - but you’ll need to be their loudest advocate in the room.

Hollywood may be far away, but Fort Worth is rolling out its own red carpet. Tarrant County College just held its first graduation for the Fort Worth Film Collaborative, a four-month crash course that trains students in grip and lighting, hair and makeup, and set construction. Backed by 101 Studios and the local film commission, the program is feeding talent into Texas’s growing production scene - boosted by new incentives and big shoots like Landman. For the 40 grads who walked the stage, the message was clear: why move to Hollywood when Hollywood is moving to Texas?

Turns out, hundreds of Texas cities and counties still can’t send FEMA’s most powerful emergency alerts straight to your phone-because many never bothered to sign up. That means in places hit by floods, tornadoes, or even active shooters, residents may have to rely on sirens, Facebook posts, or the neighbor yelling “run!” Meanwhile, Arlington-with 400,000 people and a World Cup crowd on the horizon-still can’t push an IPAWS alert, but promises Twitter and old-school sirens have everyone covered. FEMA says it’s begging local governments to join, offering free training and a faster application process. Until then, Texans might want to hope disasters arrive only in counties that actually filled out the paperwork.

Texas thought it solved its paper-tag fraud mess by rolling out shiny new metal temporary plates with a red stripe - but crooks were apparently waiting with their sticker rolls ready. Harris County deputies already caught a fake tag on a Honda CR-V, which, fun twist, actually belonged to a Ford Focus. For just \$120, the driver bought himself a “discount license plate” and a misdemeanor. Officials admit it’s early days - or as one constable put it, “the first inning” - but the surge in red-striped plates (91,000 in two months) has them bracing for a new black market. In Texas, it seems the rule of the road is simple: «if it’s red, you run it»

Dallas is taking back the keys to Fair Park, the 277-acre home of the State Fair of Texas, and hopes to make it more than just a once-a-year attraction. Starting September 15, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department will run daily operations and is eyeing fresh uses for spots like the Leonhardt Lagoon and the long-quiet band shell. Director John Jenkins calls Fair Park “one of Dallas’ most underutilized assets” and wants retail, restaurants, and even a hotel added down the line. For now, the goal is simple: turn a seasonal fairground into a year-round destination.

AI chatbots are back in court-this time accused of harming kids’ mental health. A lawsuit in East Texas targets Character.AI, while OpenAI, facing its own wrongful death case, now promises parental controls for ChatGPT within a month. The update will let parents link to their teens’ accounts and get alerts if the bot detects signs of “acute distress.” Critics say the tech was dumped on the world with more hype than safety checks, and now the cleanup looks a lot like trial by lawsuit.

Sunday morning drivers in Rockwall got an unwelcome surprise when a crash shut down both directions of I-30 at the Lake Ray Hubbard bridge. Traffic crawled to a halt as investigators worked the scene, with police urging commuters to detour onto Highway 66. Details of the wreck remain under wraps, but by late morning all lanes were finally reopened. For frustrated motorists, it was one of those classic Texas traffic jams-unexpected, exhausting, and thankfully temporary.

Turns out your kid’s back pain isn’t always about that monster-sized backpack-you might actually need a doctor for that one. Still, TikTok’s Dauer has some survival tips: make kids use "both" straps (yes, apparently one-strap swagger equals one-shoulder pain), go for chest or belly clips to spread the load, and stash heavy books closest to the spine instead of dangling off like bricks in a sack. Oh, and if the backpack is wider than the kid or dragging behind their knees, maybe it’s not “extra roomy”-maybe it’s just wrong. Pro tip: the thing shouldn’t weigh more than 10% of your child’s body weight, unless you’re secretly training them for boot camp.

The State Fair of Texas is back Sept. 26-Oct. 19, but this year high schoolers won’t be getting in for free. While younger kids and teachers still score complimentary tickets, grades 9-12 are being cut off-officials cite rising costs, unused tickets, and, yes, rowdy teen behavior. High school students can still grab weekday discounts online, but the fair has made it clear: family fun doesn’t come cheap, especially if you’re old enough to cause “disturbances.”

Dallas transit riders, brace yourselves: starting January 2026, DART is slashing seven bus routes and cutting peak-hour rail service in a bid to save \$18 million. Officials blame ballooning costs and tight budget rules, but critics warn the cuts will hit minority and low-income riders the hardest-a concern even DART’s own equity review confirmed. The agency is dangling a couple of shiny distractions-pilot shuttles in Addison and Plano-but for many regular riders, the “budget fix” feels more like being left at the curb.

The Fort Worth Zoo has double the reason to roar-two African lion cubs were born this summer to proud parents Saba and Jabulani. The pair, a feisty female named Imara (“strength”) and her gentler brother Tamu (“sweet”), are already showing off their personalities-one bold, the other more of a mama’s boy. For now, the cubs are sticking close to mom in their newly “baby-proofed” habitat, complete with logs and stepping stones, until they’re ready for the big stage. The zoo calls their arrival a win for lion conservation; the cubs, meanwhile, just call it nap time.

Kids today don’t just scroll past memes and dance challenges -they’re also stumbling across graphic videos of murders on their feeds. Experts warn that by middle school, the average child has already seen thousands of violent acts on screen (so much for “PG-13”). Doctors advise parents to actually ask their kids what they’ve seen - and brace for answers that may require more than “just ignore it.” From teaching kids to say “I can’t unsee that” to suggesting puppies, prayer, or paintbrushes as mental detox tools, the message is clear: violence online is inevitable, but how parents help kids process it can make all the difference.

Texas kids are about to get a whole lot more Texas in their textbooks. The State Board of Education narrowly approved a plan to beef up lessons on Texas and U.S. history-while trimming back world history and geography-because apparently the globe can wait. Conservatives praised the “chronological, story-based” approach, while educators complained it sidelines context, continuity, and, well, the rest of the planet. The board insists everyone’s story will eventually be told, but critics worry students won’t see themselves-or the wider world-in the material until much later. In short: more Alamo, less Amazon.

A Texas suburb has a new gang problem - only this one has four legs and a tail. In Godley, residents say packs of abandoned dogs, sometimes as many as 40, are roaming neighborhoods, even showing up during school drop-off and pickup. Families describe being chased into their homes and cars, while city leaders scramble for solutions since shelters are already full. A proposed ban on animal dumping is on the table, but for now, parents are walking kids to school with one hand on a backpack and the other hovering near a firearm - because nobody wants their child mistaken for kibble.

Drama, TDs, and last-second heroics: the Cowboys beat the Giants 40–37 in overtime, extending their NFC East streak to nine wins. Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson turned the fourth quarter into a highlight reel, trading go-ahead touchdowns like it was a video game. Brandon Aubrey tied the game with a 64-yard field goal at the buzzer, then iced it in OT with a 46-yarder. Wilson threw for 450 yards and three TDs, but a risky deep pass in OT sealed New York’s fate. Prescott keeps his perfect run against the Giants alive-14 straight wins since his rookie missteps.

The University of Texas at Arlington just hit a record 42,710 students, thanks to its biggest freshman class ever-5,100 wide-eyed first-years ready to discover ramen diets and overdue essays. Enrollment is up across several colleges, with nursing and science leading the surge. UTA’s president says everyone wants to be a Maverick, and apparently employers agree. The school also touts being in the top 5% of research institutions-because nothing says “future job security” like a fancy Carnegie stamp of approval.

Two coyotes in Arlington decided patio furniture was better than the wild, curling up for a backyard nap like they owned the place. Homeowner Clark was less than thrilled-especially with a baby in the house-and has since armed her yard with Amazon’s finest solar-powered repellents and a sturdier fence. Wildlife officials say coyotes (along with foxes, skunks, and even feral hogs) are practically neighborhood regulars, but that’s not exactly comforting when they’re lounging by your sliding door. For Clark, one furry squatter was already too many-two was the last straw.

The humble book report is officially dead, and AI killed it. Teachers say sending students home with essays is now basically an invitation to let ChatGPT do the work, and they’re scrambling to redefine what counts as “cheating.” Some schools are banning AI, others are weaving it into lessons, and students are left wondering whether asking a bot for help is collaboration or corruption. Universities are drafting guidelines, but no one seems to agree-except on one thing: expecting teenagers to resist the shiny shortcut of AI might be the biggest fantasy assignment of all.

In Godley, Texas, neighbors are begging city leaders to do something about a pack of wild dogs that’s been terrorizing their streets for years. Residents say the animals are bolder than ever-charging at people in broad daylight and making it unsafe for kids to play outside. City council members are now weighing options like trapping the dogs or teaming up with county officials, but for frustrated locals, the message is simple: enough talk, just fix it before someone gets bitten.