Here’s what you need to know on the last day of July 2020. What happened this month in history? Something significant for American and Texas literature in 1897. William Sidney Porter, better known as O. Henry, was arrested and convicted of embezzlement after being fired as a bank teller. It was one of those great jail sentences however, as O. Henry used his sentence to write sentences and began work on the many stories for which he is famous. And gave Texas an early tradition of literature aside from just bragging. You can still see his house in Austin and there’s a museum there. Check it out when we can travel freely again.
Remember 1989? Fort Worth was kind of a sleepy little burg then and it was so unhip, it was hip, as Joe “King” Carrasco told me once during a conversation we were having about the greatness of “96 Tears.” I don’t know why we were having that conversation, but I do remember he was sweaty after jumping around on stage for a couple of hours. The year 1989 was the year Earth Bones opened and people gravitated to this little slice of boutique hipness that shined its cool light in the Town of the Cow. Now, Fort Worth is so cool it threatens to be uncool, whatever that means. Either way, it is my sad duty to report that Earth Bones, now located in Sundance Square, will close its doors in about a month. Why is it closing? Sounds like the owners are just kind of ready to do something else. Stay hip Earth Bones, you were cool before it was cool to be cool.
Check it out and light a cool candle:
Well, those Democrats and Republicans are fightin’ like the Hatfields and McCoys over the next round of pandemic relief, particularly over unemployment benefits. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce got involved on Thursday, offering their own compromise plan and even provided a handy-dandy chart showing the impact of the differing plans on each state. Check it out while the feudin’ and fightin’ continues. Expect lots of posturing and moral high grounding before they finally come to an agreement.
The latest:
Check out the Chamber of Commerce graphics:
The funeral of the late Rep. John Lewis brought out some oratory from former presidents. Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama as they paid tribute to man who made a difference and continues to make a difference.
COVID continues to take a toll with businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain, dying from the disease.
But let’s finish off with some good news:
A young man in Grapevine nearly died from drowning and now he is helping provide life jackets to others.
Check it out: