Hospital Controversy

Marlise Munoz removed from life support at Fort Worth hospital

Erick and Marlise Munoz with their son, Mateo.
Marlise Munoz/Facebook
Marlise Munoz entered the ICU at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth onNovember 26, 2013.
Marlise Munoz/Facebook

Marlise Munoz, the brain-dead pregnant woman lying in a Fort Worth hospital whose status raised a storm of controversy, was finally removed from life support on Sunday, January 26.

Representatives from her family released a statement saying that Munoz could finally rest in peace, and her family could now complete "what has been an unbearably long and arduous journey."

The family's statement followed one from John Peter Smith Hospital, which announced that it would follow a court order issued by Judge R.H. Wallace of the 96th District Court of Tarrant County on Friday, January 24, regarding Munoz' condition. The hospital had until 5 pm Monday to comply.

"The past eight weeks have been difficult for the Munoz family, the caregivers and the entire Tarrant County community, which found itself involved in a sad situation," read the hospital's statement. "JPS Health Network has followed what we believed were the demands of a state statute.

"From the onset, JPS has said its role was not to make nor contest law but to follow it. On Friday, a state district judge ordered the removal of life-sustaining treatment from Marlise Munoz. The hospital will follow the court order."

Munoz was 14 weeks pregnant when she was rushed to the hospital in November 2013 by her husband, Erick Munoz, who found her unconscious, possibly having suffered a pulmonary embolism. She never showed any brain activity after she was admitted, and family members, including her husband, wished to observe her stated wishes that she did not want to be kept alive.

Erick filed a lawsuit against the hospital on January 14 to compel doctors to remove life support after it was determined that the fetus suffered deformed lower extremities, hydrocephalus and other abnormalities, including a possible heart problem.

According to the statement from the Munoz family, Marlise was removed from life support at approximately 11:30 am, and her body was released to Erick Munoz.

"The Munoz and Machado families will now proceed with the somber task of laying Marlise Munoz’s body to rest, and grieving over the great loss that has been suffered," the statement read.

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let loose dallas

Dallas earns a slot on new list of America's most fun cities

Photo by Mark Patterson on Unsplash

Dallas is a fun place to be, the study says.

Dallas' fun entertainment and nightlife scenes have helped the city improve in WalletHub's just-released ranking of the most fun American cities in 2025. Dallas now stands tall as the 26th most fun U.S. city this year.

WalletHub's "Most Fun Cities in America (2025)" study compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics — spanning from the number of sports venues, music venues, and shopping centers per capita to the average cost for a restaurant meal — to determine how "fun" each city is. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

Las Vegas, Nevada continued its multi-year streak as the No. 1 most fun American city.

Across the three key dimensions, Dallas scored the highest for its nightlife and parties rank (No. 23), but its entertainment and recreation ranks (No. 35) and costs (No. 99) still have room for improvement. But overall, Dallas' level of "fun" is far higher than most U.S. cities.

Dallas' current "fun" status is five places higher than its 2024 rank as the No. 31 most fun American city.

Elsewhere in North Texas, Fort Worth ranked as the 60th most fun American city, while Arlington (No. 71) and Plano (No. 78) lagged farther behind.

Texas' most fun cities
Houston overtook Austin as the 6th most fun city in America and the No. 1 most fun Texas city for 2025. Austin, which ranked No. 6 last year, dropped two spots and now ranks No. 8 on the list.

Three more Texas cities that appeared in the top 100 include: San Antonio (No. 23), El Paso (No. 62), and Corpus Christi (No. 94).

"The decision of where to live could save or cost you a lot of money and fun, so it’s fair to wonder what makes a fun city," the report's author wrote. "In a city with enough variety, you won’t have to compromise with your friends, family, or even yourself about the next fun activity to do alone or together."

Surprisingly, both Chicago and New York City dropped out of the top 10 most fun American cities. Chicago now ranks as No. 11, and New York City ranks 14th on the list.

WalletHub's top 10 most fun U.S. cities in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Houston, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Austin, Texas
No. 9 – Portland, Oregon
No. 10 – Cincinnati, Ohio

rankings wallethub dallas