Out-of-Town Invasion

Chill out, Austin: More out-of-towners move to Dallas than any other Texas city

Oh, Austin. You're so darn cool. You love to keep it weird. And now you can quit worrying about out-of-state invaders. According to a recent Nerd Wallet study, more people are packing up and moving to Dallas than any other city in Texas.

Never mind the fact that Nerd Wallet also released a survey that names Austin the No. 1 place to actually get a job in the country. I guess getting hired and making the move are two different beasts.

The site looked at the data of people moving to a new area from outside of the state, and a clear pattern emerged among the 12 percent of Americans that relocated in 2012: There are hot spots that attract job seekers.

Let's state the obvious: the New York, D.C. and Chicago metro areas top the list. New York attracted roughly a quarter million people from outside of the state in 2012. In other news, water is wet, but don't go writing off Texas just yet.

Sitting pretty and proud at No. 8 on the list, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area welcomed more than 120,000 people in 2012. We know why, of course, and apparently others are starting to catch on.

With a low cost of living and an unemployment rate of 6.7 percent, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area is a pretty attractive place. There are plenty of tech companies, and the area is also home to American Airlines and many manufacturing companies.

Houston came in at No. 11, with 101,200 people from out of state moving there. And despite a recent census report that shows that Austin is growing like a weed, the state capital barely made the Nerd Wallet list, sliding in at No. 25.

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Fight This Fly

Wildlife officials warn Texans to keep eye out for new invasive worm

U.S. Department of Agriculture/aphis.usda.gov

The the New World Screwworm (NWS) is a parasite that turns into a fly.

An invasive species is crawling towards Texas and wildlife officials are warning Texans to keep an eye out: It's called the New World Screwworm, and it's been detected in Mexico, with a trajectory headed north.

According to a release from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, a worm was found in a cow at an inspection checkpoint in the southern Mexico State of Chiapas, close to the border with Guatemala — following its progressively northward movement through both South and Central Americas.

As a protective measure, officials are asking those along the southern Texas border to monitor wildlife, livestock, and pets for clinical signs of the New World Screwworm (NWS) and report potential cases immediately.

Clinical signs may include:

Irritated or depressed behavior
Loss of appetite
Head shaking
Smell of decaying flesh
Presence of fly larvae (maggots) in wounds
Isolation from other animals or people

They are called screwworms because they screw into the flesh, worsening injuries and causing a painful condition called NWS myiasis. Flies lay eggs in open wounds or orifices such as nostrils, eyes, or mouth. These eggs hatch into parasitic larvae. The maggots burrow or screw into flesh with sharp mouth hooks. Wounds can become larger, and an infestation can often cause serious damage or death.

After feeding, larvae drop to the ground, burrow into the soil and emerge as adult NWS flies. Adult NWS flies can fly long distances and the movement of infested livestock or wildlife can increase the rate of spread.

NWS primarily infests livestock but can also affect humans and wildlife including deer and birds.

This is not the screwworm's first rodeo. The parasite was last eradicated from the U.S. in 1966, with costly efforts by federal and state animal health officials, livestock producers, and veterinary practitioners. Eradication efforts have continued in Central America, but the pest is widespread in Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and South American countries.

Travelers to those areas should clean and cover all wounds and use insect repellent on outdoor clothing.

Anyone who suspects signs in wildlife of NWS should report their findings immediately to a local wildlife biologist. Reports about livestock should be directed to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) or U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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Brianna Caleri contributed to this story.

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