Brits Investigate Texans

Daily Mail unearths horrifying information about family of affluenza teen Ethan Couch

New developments have emerged on the family history of Ethan Couch, the 16-year-old from Burleson who got probation for driving a truck that killed four people and left two others critically wounded.

The probation sentence given by Judge Jean Boyd to Ethan, whose blood-alcohol concentration was three times the legal limit at the time of the crash, has provoked international outrage. The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office is now pursuing jail time for two intoxication assault charges, to which Ethan pled guilty.

Ethan's parents, Fred and Tonya Couch, have their own arrest-ridden path of destruction.

According to the Daily Mail, Ethan's parents, Fred and Tonya Couch, now divorced, have their own arrest-ridden path of destruction. The couple has been accused of more than 20 crimes and traffic violations including theft, speeding, evading arrest and assault.

Neither have served jail time. Fred Couch paid out at least nine driving citation fines, and Tonya Couch paid a $500 fine for reckless driving after she ran another vehicle off the road. Fred has twice been caught writing hot checks — for a pair of shoes and a tank of gas — and has 22 criminal and traffic violations on his record.

The Daily Mail also tracked down teens who claimed to have partied with Ethan at his home on Burleson Retta Road, where the 16-year-old reportedly lived alone and unsupervised. One said that he was at the home only three days before the deadly accident and observed Ethan drinking vodka out of the bottle and boasting about his partying ability.

Judge Boyd sentenced Ethan to 10 years probation on December 10. He could have faced up to 20 years in jail. Clinical psychologist G. Dick Miller testified that Couch suffered from "affluenza," a condition that apparently causes wealthy kids to believe their actions have no consequences.

Ethan will be placed at a troubled teen home in Southern California called Newport Academy, at a cost of $450,000 per year, which his parents will pay.

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happy go lucky plano

Dallas neighbor dazzles on new list of happiest cities in America

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

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A new happiness study has ranked Plano one of the happiest cities in America this year, and it once again landed on top as the happiest city in Texas.

Plano has moved up on the list and ranks as the 16th happiest U.S. city in 2026. Last year, it was 17th.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Plano across the three key dimensions:

No. 15 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 22 – Community and environment
No. 72 – Income and employment

Plano and its residents have continued improving their city year after year, whether its through opening new bakeries and restaurants, inviting fun pop-ups for locals, or having a strong job market.

Plano's happiness far outshines the rest of North Texas; according to WalletHub, Irving is the 70th happiest city in the country, the third-happiest in Texas, and the second-happiest city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Garland ranked farther behind as No. 92 nationally, and more DFW cities ranked even lower: Grand Prairie (No. 106), Dallas (No. 111), Fort Worth (No. 113), and Arlington (No. 119).

The report additionally found that Dallasites spend the third-most amount of time at work in the nation. The city ranked No. 180 in the national analysis of U.S. cities with the "fewest work hours."

WalletHub also emphasized that money doesn't buy happiness — after a certain point.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Six-figure earners in Plano aren't necessarily as happy as those who don't make as much, as a separate financial study from SmartAsset revealed these big earners are only taking home about $72,653 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 39 – Austin
No. 128 – Houston
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

wallethub plano reports