The Dallas Parks and Recreation board voted unanimously Friday morning to change the name of Lee Park, honoring Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Earlier this month, crews removed a statue of the historic military figure from the park.

With the vote, the name of the park reverts back to its original name, Oak Lawn Park. The name will be temporary until the City of Dallas goes through the formal renaming process.

RELATED: With Robert E. Lee statue out of public eye, Dallas will soon vote on wiping this park’s confederate namesake

As the votes were counted, board president Bobby Abtahi said his vote came down to equality, saying everyone should be equal inside the city’s parks.

“I take it very seriously when people in our city don’t feel welcome at a park,” Abtahi added.

The name change faced no resistance from board members or the public, contrasting with the heated community debates over the Robert E. Lee monument’s fate that once stood in the park.

While they voted in favor of changing the name, the board did not approve a plan to remove signage featuring Lee’s name, which would cost the city $40,000. Instead, they will cover the name until additional plans can be made for replacing the signage, which won’t happen until a new name is chosen.

Also on Friday, the Dallas Confederate Task Force Committee voted in favor of removing a second Confederate monument. They also recommended streets named in honor of Confederate soldiers be changed.

The monument in Downtown Dallas’ Pioneer Park features a Confederate soldier on top of a six-story tower, surrounded by four Confederate generals. Built in 1896, the monument is valued at $500,000 and will cost a staggering $800,000 to move.

The task force voted 11-4 in favor of removing the statue, with one abstention.

While the task force agreed five out of 17 Confederate-named streets should be given new names, the debate was heated, with some task force members upset the changes would cost citizens and businesses additional money.

RELATED: Following the violence in Charlottesville, Houston comes to a crossroads on monuments and marches on the home front

“If it were Hitler’s name, I think there would be no amount of money that would be too much to change that name,” task force member Sara Mokuria countered. “And for some folks, these names have that same significance.”

The five streets whose names will change include Lee Parkway, Cabell, Stonewall Street, Beauregard Drive, and Gano. The process will be costly, with the first three street name changes estimated to cost $6,000.

Daisy Mae the dog disappeared after a serious car accident along the George Bush Turnpike, north of Dallas.

RELATED: This is how your dog’s vision is different from yours

When the car she was riding in was hit by an 18-wheeler on the freeway, the dog fled the wreckage — and no one knew where she was.

Five days later, volunteers from Mutts and Mayhem Animal Rescue found the injured lab/retriever mix not too far away from where the accident occurred. She had to have surgery, but she got back on her feet.

But now, the dog — and her owner, Erica Cruz, who was also injured in the wreck — have been honored by the city of Plano. Cruz and the volunteers who rescued Daisy were lauded recently at the Plano Municipal Center.

RELATED: Enraged woman flips out on a veteran for bringing his PTSD dog into a restaurant

And what else do you give a dog?

A “bone” to the city, of course.

J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks guard and team firebrand, is the only NBA player from Puerto Rico.

RELATED: Heartbreaking satellite photo sheds light on the tragedy in Puerto Rico

So when the point guard wanted to help his native island after Maria’s devastation, he knew who to ask: Mark Cuban

And the Mavericks owner/billionaire did more than donate money–he gave Barea the keys to the team’s jet.

“Mark gave him our team plane,” Coach Rick Carlisle said in a statement. “They loaded up a bunch of stuff, supplies, etc., to take over to Puerto Rico, and they’re going to turn around and come back. He’s going to take his mom and grandmother back with him, and my understanding is his dad is going to stay over there and slug it out with all of the recovery efforts.”

Barea missed the opening day of Mavs training camp, but it was all for a good cause.

He has also raised nearly $100,000 in an online fundraiser for relief efforts.

RELATED: Donald Trump’s notoriously blunt adversary Mark Cuban is now angling for a job at the White House

After delivering food, water and other staples, Barea returned to Dallas on Tuesday, this time, with more precious cargo: his mom and grandmother.

If you need or would like to help in the Carribean, read more about efforts here.

On July 27, 1977, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner opened one of his famous Playboy Clubs in the Lone Star State.

The club was opened in Dallas as part of a chain of openings after the original club opened in Chicago in 1960. Dallas developer Lenny Licht backed the franchise, and the club was built in Dallas’ expressway tower, the same building that housed the offices of the Dallas Cowboys football team at the time.

RELATED: Original Playboy Club in Chicago may reopen

A 1977 article in D Magazine has Licht describing the club’s amenities as “a first-rate showroom, with an excellent revue, comparable to any entertainment in Dallas today, including the Fairmont’s Venetian Room.”

To get around the two-dollar fee for private clubs, the Playboy Club in Dallas wasn’t technically private, but you did have to be a “key holder” to get in. At the time, a coveted metal rabbit Playboy key cost $25, and members presented it to the “bunny” at the door to gain entry (the metal keys were later replaced by key cards in ’66).

“For those local lovelies aspiring to become a bunny, this is the chance. If the club is approved, Playboy will likely conduct a bunny hunt about a month or so before opening date,” the 1977 article reads in its closing lines.

The Playboy Club franchise continued all the way into 2014, but the Dallas club closed due to bankruptcy in 1982, according to the Dallas News. Hefner’s franchise continues making headlines to this day, most recently with the announcement it would no longer publish nude photos.

In an interview on the club’s opening night, Hefner said he thought its future looked good. “We’re really, I guess the only one that’s been successful in franchising clubs of this kind around the country and throughout the world. I suppose the magazine is the reason it keeps revitalizing itself, because the magazine deals with…lifestyle and good living, and I think the club reflects that.”

When asked about the “bunnies” working at the club that night, a coiffed and dapper-looking Hefner said, “I think that, from tonight and from past experience, some of the most beautiful girls in the world come from Texas.”

RELATED: Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner will be laid to rest next to Marylin Monroe

William Livezey Jr. was 70 when he died from a heart attack after being arrested by an off-duty Texas police officer in December of 2013.

According to the Des Moines Register, Livezey was handcuffed on the side of the highway at the time of his attack.

He was arrested for the incident some time later:

Recently, a federal judge sentenced the officer, a one Ernesto Fierro, to pay $6.3 million to Livezey’s wife and four adult children.

Fierro also lost his license as a Texas peace officer after Livezey’s heart attack, and will be on the hook for all $6.3 million of the judgement.

RELATED: New Video Shows Fight Occur Before Fatal Huntington Beach Police Shooting

The lawsuit filed against the former officer provided Livezey was delivering lumber to a client in Houston at the time of his detainment.

Fierro claimed Livezey almost killed him while he was on his motorcycle, testifying Livezey displayed “homicidal intent with his attacks of road rage.”

Witnesses tell a different story, however:

They claim Fierro drove Livezey’s truck off the road, swerving and darting around it and even kicking a tire at one point.

Fierro said the older victim, whom he handcuffed, was “faking” his heart attack when backup arrived, claiming he was just pretending so he wouldn’t be taken to jail.

Livezey’s skin turned purple and he stopped breathing after backup officers un-cuffed him and put him in their vehicle.

He was declared dead of cardiac arrest shortly after.

RELATED: Authorities Detain Heavily Armed Former Police Officer Outside the White House

This wasn’t the first questionable incident for Feirro, who, according to the Register, was involved in hit and run accidents, where he left the scenes, as well as complaints of excessive force, while employed with the Dallas Police Department.

In 2011 he was involved in a high-speed chase resulting in the death of a motorcyclist while working with the Ferris Police Department.

No word on an appeal at this time.  This is a developing story.

Get ready for corny dogs — the State Fair of Texas has arrived and will be open through Oct. 22. In case you need extra help navigating its annual showcase of fried food, games, rides, and expos, there’s a map for that.

RELATED: The State Fair of Texas rakes in $56 million each year, but refuses to pay for security

This interactive map, pegged to each day, shows where and when your favorite events and locales are happening by date or “vanue.”

Because nothing is sadder than when you have a Fletcher’s jones, and you can’t find a booth anywhere.

RELATED: These unbelievable finalists for the Texas State Fair’s Big Tex Awards will have you pulling out the fat pants this fall

The October 19 deadline for proposal submissions to Amazon for its massive second headquarters building (HQ2) is right around the corner, and lots of Texas cities are clamoring for Jeff Bezos’ attention.

Many of Texas’ and the nation’s hopeful urban areas were disqualified right away for not ticking all the boxes on Amazon’s list of requirements, including population size, proximity to transportation and airports, fast wifi, good universities and more.

But for those cities still in the running, including Houston, Austin, and several areas in and around the DFW metroplex, a new piece in Texas Monthly reports officials in these areas may want to think a little harder before bringing the retail Goliath into their backyard.

RELATED: Amazon, if You’re Going to Set Up Shop in Texas, Do it in Houston

For one thing, Amazon’s treatment of its employees is a continued subject of questions regarding its working conditions.

Relatedly, its top-tier employees might be earning six figures, but its low- and mid-level employees are subjected to a pretty harsh working reality, according to a 2015 report by the New York Times:

“At Amazon, workers are encouraged to tear apart one another’s ideas in meetings, toil long and late (emails arrive past midnight, followed by text messages asking why they were not answered), and held to standards that the company boasts are ‘unreasonably high.'”

The article goes on to report other examples of mistreatment, particularly among women:

“A woman who had breast cancer was told that she was put on a ‘performance improvement plan’ — Amazon code for ‘you’re in danger of being fired’ — because ‘difficulties’ in her ‘personal life’ had interfered with fulfilling her work goals.”

Another way HQ2 could impact the potential Texas city it lands in is through a spike in housing prices and increase in traffic congestion.

For a lot of cities, like Houston, which attracts people though lower cost of living, this could stall growth, keep people away or drive people out altogether.

According to the Texas Monthly findings, this was the case in Seattle with the construction of Amazon’s first headquarters.

Dallas and other Lone Star cities are considered frontrunners for Texas, but Houston is also expressing interest in housing HQ2.

That said, with Facebook already established in Austin and gearing up to expand, it definitely fulfills Amazon’s requirement for a tech-savvy workforce.

Prospective problems aside, HQ2 could bring many benefits to the city ultimately chosen, through jobs and an influx of cash, but whichever jurisdiction ultimately lands the deal, leaders there will undoubtedly be forced to consider if the pros outweigh the cons.

RELATED: Amazon, Trade the Rain for the Wind, Chicago Wants Second Headquarters

The Texas Monthly piece concludes with a warning for cities before they bid on HQ2:

“…(T)hey should take the time to think long and hard about whether they actually want it.”

A new report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows Houston’s economy suffered a serious decline in 2016, relinquishing its crown as the leading economy among Texas cities to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

In sharp contrast, the Austin area has the fastest-growing economy of any Texas city in 2016 and the sixth fastest-growing economy among the top 100 U.S. metropolitan areas.

RELATED: Competition between Houston, Dallas, and Austin heats up

The report evaluates a city’s gross domestic product, or the gross amount of revenue each city produces. The Austin-Round Rock, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area saw an increase in its GDP of 7.6 percent from 2014 to 2015, and another 4.9 percent from 2015 to 2016, making it the fastest-growing urban economy in Texas for two years running.

The same statistics for Houston tell a different story. From 2014 to 2015, Houston’s GDP grew by nearly five percent. However, the city’s GDP fell by three percent the following year, the only one of Texas’ four major metro areas to experience such a decline.

The report cites “a decline in natural resources and mining” as the main reason for the slide.

While both the Austin and San Antonio areas have experienced higher growth rates than the state’s two largest cities, their overall numbers still don’t measure up to Houston or Dallas. Austin’s GDP increased from $119.9 billion in 2015 to $125.8 billion in 2016. By comparison, Houston’s GDP fell from $456.2 billion in 2015 to $442.5 billion in 2016.

RELATED: Houston makes list of best underrated cities in America

Houston also lost its lead in city GDP to Dallas. In 2015, the two cities were virtually even. However, Dallas’ GDP grew by three percent, from $457.4 billion in 2015 to $471.3 billion in 2016, allowing the Metroplex to surpass Houston.

Originally slated to take effect on October 1, Dallas’ ‘cite and release‘ program for minor marijuana offenses is still not enacted at this time.

RELATED: Texas Continues Baby Steps on the Path to Marijuana Reform

According to the Dallas Observer, the the Dallas County Commissioner’s Court tied up the necessary program funding to take the policy off the ground.

Those officials control the power power to green light money for new courts designated to handle the minor offense cases under the policy.

But, two days late, these funds remain unappropriated, leaving the program in what the Observer describes as a “bureaucratic limbo.”

Without a system in place to process citations under the new program, it can’t begin.

After passage in the spring, County Commissioner John Wiley Price expressed doubts on the program, sending a letter to the city of Dallas and the Dallas Police describing what he believed were potential problems.

As outlined in his words, he believes people living outside Dallas might be treated differently than those living within its borders.  He also mentioned concerns over the cost of setting up the new courts:

“We already know that, statistically, residents of Highland Park are treated differently than Hamilton Park; those same statistics would indicate that the level of drug usage is similar in each,” Price posted to Facebook explaining his reasoning.

Flawed or not, fellow Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia thinks the program is still worth a shot:

“We need to try it…Without trying, we don’t know where the problems could be,” she said in an interview. “More importantly, for my personal perspective, less people in jail can only help.”

To address the problem of discrimination to those living outside Dallas County, Garcia and District Attorney Faith Johnson came up with the idea of personal recognizance bonds.

Under this approach, after being caught with pot, persons using a personal recognizance bond can be released from jail without posting bail.  Of course, they would still be required to go through police booking.

The Dallas County Criminal Justice Advisory Board will ultimately decide whether to fund the cite and release program at its meeting on October 17, when they have a full estimate of its cost.

RELATED: There’s a Marijuana Related Arrest Somewhere in America Every Minute

If given the ok, the funds will go into effect on December 1 – two months after their initially slated scheduling.

Meanwhile, Houston’s marijuana program blazes on.

The State Fair of Texas is less than a week into its run, but an animal-related mini-controversy has already erupted.

RELATED: A baby giraffe at The Maryland Zoo has been placed in the ICU

A Fort Worth woman visiting the fair over the weekend shot a video of her experience in the Children’s Barnyard, where she witnessed a distressed giraffe, pacing frantically and scratching its head at the ceiling.

Stephanie Coon told the Dallas/Fort Worth television station WFAA.com that “[It was] very stressed out, it was pacing, went up to the gate, almost like it was trying to escape and it just went back and forth.”

Coon originally posted the video on the Facebook page for the State Fair, where it was deleted. After she reposted it to her own account, she wrote an update on the giraffe, writing that “she has been returned to her home. Thank you to everyone who spoke up for her and helped give her a voice.”

Meanwhile, officials with the fair maintain the giraffe was in a proper enclosure, and that the animal was in fine health.

“She’s a young giraffe and this was her first show to be at … the environment just wasn’t good for her,” Karissa Condoinas said.

Condoinas added that the giraffe comes from a longtime vendor’s farm in Kansas, and that the animal was “simply overwhelmed by a new environment.”

RELATED: There’s more to a giraffe than meets the eye

To be on the safe side, however, the giraffe was released from its fair duty early and was sent back home.

The city of Dallas recently voted to change the names of five Confederate-named streets, out of seventeen total. As the city prepares to erase another link to its controversial past, one street was overlooked.

While it’s not a Confederate-named street, Via Bishop Grahmann is considered by some to be the “most offensive street name in Dallas.”

RELATED: With vote to rename Lee Park, Dallas also votes on other confederate changes

Under the leadership of Bishop Charles Grahmann, who oversaw the Catholic Diocese of Dallas from 1990-2007, the diocese was found guilty in 1997 of gross negligence, conspiracy, malice, and fraud for its role in hiding the crimes of Rudy Kos, a priest who was convicted of molesting children.

According to D Magazine, while Grahmann claimed on the stand to have no knowledge of the abuse, his cavalier attitude conveyed to the jury that he didn’t care about the serious charges.

“It looked like he was bored to death and thought he was above it all,” the jury forewoman later said. “I don’t know how you can be in that much denial and have that much evidence.”

The jury delivered the heaviest clergy-abuse verdict in history of nearly $120 million, which was later reduced.

Critics of the street’s name find it offensive to honor a man who failed to protect innocent children. In addition, the street name is also illegal because Dallas city code requires a person be deceased for two years prior to having a street named after them. At 86, Grahmann is currently living in San Antonio.

RELATED: With Robert E. Lee statue out of the public eye, Dallas will soon vote on erasing this park’s namesake

What will the city do about Via Bishop Grahmann? As monuments to the Confederacy fall, will this connection to one of religion’s darkest periods during modern times come down as well?

It’s no secret Houstonians love their soccer. And now, the city is hoping it will build on its reputation and become the host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

RELATED: Houston could host FIFA World Cup matches in 2026

The United Bid Committee announced Wednesday Houston is one of 32 potential host cities for the event. Other possible sites include 24 different markets within the US, four cities in Canada, and three in Mexico.

Houston is not the only city in Texas hoping to land the event: Dallas is also in the running.

“As we move to the next stage of the bid process, we’re even more confident we have everything needed to deliver the largest, most compelling FIFA World Cup in history and help accelerate the growth of soccer across North America and around the world,” said United Bid Chairman Sunil Gulati in the accouncement.

“We have more than double the number of cities required to stage matches in 2026. We have a vision for growing the game and engaging fans as never before. Our biggest challenge will be finding ways to honor the enthusiasm of all the people across Canada, Mexico and the United States through the development of our united hosting concept.”

The Official Host City selection process will “take into account various factors such as city profile, stadium and support facilities (training sites, hotels) and services (e.g., transportation).”

RELATED: Inside a school bus from 1994, you’ll find what might be the craziest Houston sports fans

The UBC will send its official bidding documents to FIFA in mid-March, with a decision expected in June.

A full list of potential host cities can be found here.

For the Houston’s Texas alums, Dallas may be the place to be next weekend.

And, if you’ve ever wanted to bash OU while swilling beer and sweating in downward dog with Ricky Williams, then an upcoming evening at the Bomb Factory is just the thing:

RELATED: This former NFL player joined Seth Rogen and got blunt about all things weed-related

The Heisman Trophy winner and UT alum will be on hand Friday, Oct. 13 in Deep Ellum for an evening merging health with hops, plus a hefty dose of Longhorn bonhomie.

The Oklahoma Suks Beer Yoga class is set for the night before the annual Red River Showdown football game at the Cotton Bowl – UT and OU’s yearly matchup.

Patrons will be able to enjoy complimentary cans of sponsor Independence Brewing Co.’s beer called Oklahoma Suks (with free refills!) while enjoying a yoga class led by Williams, a self-proclaimed yogi since 2003.

A meet-and-greet with the former NFL running back will follow.

RELATED: University of Texas unveils crazy-cool football locker room just in time for the season

Tickets start at $35 for the event, which runs from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Horns up!

A video is circulating showing a late-night performance of alt-right sympathizer Milo Yiannopoulos accompanied by white nationalist and Dallas native Richard Spencer and his followers at a North Dallas bar last spring.

RELATED: The ACLU explains why it’s defending Milo Yiannoupolos’ right to free speech

Watch the video

Karaoke was wrapping up for the evening, but Spencer talked management into letting his party sing a song acoustically.

As featured above, Yiannopoulos launched into “America the Beautiful,” as Spencer, when his pals added a Nazi salute mid-song.

Bartender Amiti Perry then rushed the stage to end the performance.

Perry tells the Dallas Observer she lost it, “grabbing the microphone just as the song, and video clip, ended.”

“I said ‘Get the f*** out. You are not welcome here, at all,'” Perry said in an interview.

She recounted her experience further:

“I was yelling at them, and, I remember this distinctly, they all came around me on the stage and were yelling things. Some were shouting ‘Trump, Trump, Trump;’ at that point it started to hit me who these people were, and then they started saying ‘Make America Great Again.’ Then I had people get in my face, it might have been Milo because he didn’t immediately go outside, he was kind of getting them aroused, and they were saying ‘Make America White Again.'”

RELATED: A White Nationalist Texan recently booked space at A&M to bring Richard Spencer back to campus

Perry says the men bullied and intimidated her until other male bartenders intervened.

Eventually, Yiannopoulos and Spencer left the bar.

While the incident was nearly a year ago, the two continue to be controversial figures today.

Just when you thought Dallas had settled every Confederate controversy within its city limits, a debate over a final resting ground being sold by a Houston company has risen from the dead.

An acre-sized stretch of land along West Northwest Highway from Lemmon Avenue to Midway Road in Dallas has been on the market for about a decade.

The land, which also bears a historical marker as a state and local landmark, is the site of the Garvin Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery, which was built on land donated by city benefactor James G. Garvin, was dedicated in 1897. However, the land has served as a cemetery since 1868.

RELATED: Dallas street honoring a dark figure in Catholic history remains

Many of Dallas’ first pioneers are buried in the lot, including several Confederate soldiers. The most notable is Colonel Pleasant G. Swor, who led troops against Union forces at the Battle of Corinth.

While Garvin, a Confederate veteran, had hoped the property he donated for the cemetery would always remain a place of rest, the modern popularity of the area has developers building in every nook and cranny. The site already sits sandwiched between an apartment complex and townhomes.

The property, owned by Houston firm El Paso Chelsea LTD, is zoned for single-family homes. However, a new buyer who has the land under contract hopes to build townhomes on the property.

Realtor Randall Turner, the listed agent of the property who has been marketing it for $1.2 million,  told the Dallas News the land was once under contract, but plans fell through. The new potential buyer is requesting the land be rezoned for multi-family dwellings, which would allow for nine condos to be built on the property.

The townhome plans include a pathway to the cemetery, which would remain on the plot.

Behind the plot is a freedman’s cemetery donated by Confederate States Army veteran, John Cochran, to serve as a final resting place for former slaves. The tiny piece of property may be the only place where Confederate soldiers and former slaves are built near to each other.

RELATED: With vote to change the name of Lee Park, Dallas also votes on other Confederate changes

While the new townhomes would not be built over marked graves, local historians and caretakers of the cemetery are concerned about the unmarked graves. Around the perimeter of the graveyard, poorer residents buried their dead, and many grave markers were destroyed by vandals — including those of Confederate soldiers.

The development has people wondering if it’s right to build over a Confederate graveyard — or any graveyard for that matter.

If developers uncover bodies surrounding unmarked graves, Dallas’s historic preservation officer, Mark Doty, says they will have to be moved once they have the state’s approval.

When two Dallas warrant officers attempted to serve a felony warrant Tuesday night at an apartment complex, a child abuse suspect killed himself after a standoff that lasted several hours.

Daryl Elliott, 56, barricaded himself inside his northeast Dallas apartment, according to Melinda Urbina, a law enforcement spokesperson, the Dallas Morning News reported. Officers tried to negotiate with Elliott, but he was uncooperative and refused to surrender.

RELATED: New developments in the case of a dead newborn raise even more questions about her father

Hours after officers first arrived, a sudden gunshot was heard from inside the apartment. When officers entered the apartment, they found Elliott dead on the floor from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police did not fire their weapons during the incident, Urbina said.

As the nation debates what to do about Confederate monuments, the city of Dallas is at the forefront of change, making some of the biggest decisions on its monuments thus far.

While the conversation over what to do with streets and statues with Confederate ties can be hostile, even within the committees in charge of decision making, Dallas officials say the city did not anticipate the level of backlash they are now experiencing from the public.

RELATED: Construction around Confederate cemetery draws attention in Dallas

Since the statue of Robert E. Lee came down from a pedestal in the park of his namesake on September 14, Dallas City Council members, who voted 13-1 in favor of the removal, are reportedly receiving threats, some of which rise to the level of violence and death.

Council member Lee Kleinman, who is Jewish, said she received an anti-semitic photo of someone giving the Nazi salute.

Council member Jennifer Stauback Gates, who is white, said she also received hateful phone calls filled with foul language and threats, calling her a traitor, a failure and a disgrace.

Despite the hostility, Philip Kingston, the council member who led the push to remove the Confederate memorials, said many of the people complaining are not from Dallas.

“We’re almost done with this process. And at this point, the people who are complaining are not from inside the city,” Kingston said in an interview.

In explaining why it is important to remove the statues in Dallas, Kingston mentioned the city’s goal of attracting new business investments, such as the new Amazon headquarters, known as HQ2, which is prospectively coming to Texas.

“It’s analogous to showing up to a job interview with a face tattoo,” he said regarding his impression the Confederate monuments give off for businesses looking to invest.

Houston and Dallas are currently competing to attract the Amazon project, set to bring many high-paying jobs to the area.

RELATED: With vote to change the name of Lee Park, Dallas also approves other Confederate changes

Meanwhile, San Antonio is joining the charge of cutting Confederate influence from the state, changing the name of Robert E. Lee High School to Legacy of Educational Excellence High School.

Protesters in Bexar County are also calling for the removal of a Christopher Columbus statue, which they say represents oppression.

“We need to take these statues down because we don’t need to be constantly reminded of our oppressors and the bad history, so we need to take these statues down,” protester Juan Aguirre sad in an interview.

A number of Confederate statues can be found across Houston, but, aside from some vandalism to a Christopher Columbus statue earlier this summer, the debate is not at the forefront of discussion in the Bayou City.

This is a developing story.

It might be time to have a Birds and the Bees talk for some parents whose kids witnessed a live birth at the State Fair of Texas.

RELATED: The State Fair of Texas has removed a problematic giraffe from its Children’s Barnyard

Because a longhorn there gave birth–unexpectedly–in the Petting Zoo on Tuesday.

RELATED: Make sure you check out this interactive map before you go to the State Fair of Texas

With the State Fair only at its midway point, the birth marks the second time the petting zoo has been in the headlines. A giraffe was removed from the barnyard a few days into the fair’s run when it began acting weird.

After a board meeting last week, the mayor of a Dallas suburb made an announcement several 100 people reportedly worked to prevent:

The city of Garland is planning to raze a former National Guard armory, as well as a nearby little league field, in order to build a skate and dog park.

RELATED: Houston suburb makes list of “Top 50 American Cities” to live in

Citizens attended the city council meeting to voice their concerns, the majority of whom, according to meeting minutes, opposed the two parks.

One group even collected over 100 signatures against the parks to share with the mayor in hopes of halting the projects.

However, the city council voted 6-3 to approve the parks.

Amidst a nationwide trend of statue removal some Houstonians consider to be censorship of history, and despite the pushback, Mayor Douglas Athas is vocal about his support for the skate park, which he said should not be built without more public input, especially regarding location:

“Overwhelmingly the people have said they do not wish to go forward and tear this down,” Athas said in a statement. “The truth is we do not have to put a skate park and dog park precisely right here. There are other open spaces.”

Athas said he further believes the National Armory should be treated as a city asset and preserved; he also expressed concerns of how the proposed site of the parks will not be the best place for children to play.

After the vote, Athas announced his intention to resign.

RELATED: San Antonio has decided to move an unlikely monument to fallen soldiers

In an update posted on Facebook shortly after the announcement, Athas explained his resignation decision:

“Personal agendas have bloomed on the council to the point that the citizens and staff suffer from poor governance, and I can’t morally be a part of it.”

Serving as mayor since 2013, Athas said he will not leave office early and force a special election.

The next mayoral election is in May 2018.

Inside a former candy machine at Dallas’ Elm Street Tattoo Parlor is a deal and a gamble: For $100, you can get any tattoo you want. As long as it’s inside the machine — and chosen at random.

The parlor’s “Get What You Get” machine comes with a promise that it’s all good stuff: “All Classic. All Cool. You don’t have to be smart to get a good tattoo.”

RELATED: Man with “I’M A PORNSTAR” tattooed on his forehead charged with sexual assault

That’s backed up by the artists at Elm Street, one of whom told the Dallas Observer that they were “all good ones” like “old-school snakes, devil heads.” They’re a bargain, too. The same tattooer says he’d charge “between $160 and $180 … maybe $250” if they were plain ol’ walk-ins.

Maybe the riskiest part is the refund policy, according to The Berry. The refund policy is that there are no refunds — no one will force a tattoo on you, but they also won’t refund your money.

However, for $20 more, you may spin again. It’s another $40 to spin a third time. After that? Well, maybe you’re not ready yet.