BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT

Frazzled Texans are the 9th most stressed-out people in America, new report says

Texans are especially stressed-out at work.

From a global pandemic to rising inflation and interest rates, there are plenty of things to be stressed about in 2023. And when they say everything is bigger in Texas, that includes the stress levels.

Texas was ranked the ninth most stressed state of 2023, according to the latest report from personal finance website WalletHub. WalletHub compared all 50 states across 41 metrics to determine every state’s worries on certain issues, such as work, money, or family-related stress. The report is timed to April as National Stress Awareness Month, as designated by the National Institutes of Health.

In the overall work-related stress category, the Lone Star State ranked No. 5. Texas employees specifically have the highest stress levels in the nation when it comes to their average hours worked per week. That might include several Dallas-Fort Worth area cities that have been named the most stressful to work in. Two fellow Southern states – Mississippi (No. 4) and Louisiana (No. 3) – had higher work-related stress levels, while Wyoming (No. 2), and Alaska (No. 1) earned the top two spots.

Texas also ranked No. 5 in overall family-related stress. The states that have higher family-related stress include North Carolina (No. 4), New York (No. 3), Nevada (No. 2), and New Mexico (No. 1).

In the category of health and safety-related stress, Texas ranked just outside the top 10 at No. 11. Most Texans aren’t quite feeling it when it comes to financial stress, ranking in the middle of the metaphorical stress road at No. 23. However, Dallas-Fort Worth residents are feeling that financial squeeze if they want to live comfortably in the city.

The good news? Texans aren't quite as stressed as they were in spring of 2021, when the state placed No. 6 in the same study. (At that time, COVID-19 was still raging, and vaccines had just become available.)

Leah C. Hibel, a professor of human development and family studies at the University of California, Davis, says much of the financial stress individuals experience is a result of systemic issues, not because of how an individual lives his or her life.

“[It’s] due to rising housing costs, rising food costs, and stagnant wages,” she explained. “Individuals can try to live in places where the cost of living is lower and wages are higher, or where food, child care, and other expenses are subsidized through state programs. Individuals can take on additional work and cut extra expenses, but sometimes these fixes are beyond what an individual can do.”

The top 10 most stressed states are:

No. 1 – Mississippi
No. 2 – Louisiana
No. 3 – New Mexico
No. 4 – West Virginia
No. 5 – Nevada
No. 6 – Arkansas
No. 7 – Alabama
No. 8 – Kentucky
No. 9 – Texas
No. 10 – Oklahoma

The full report can be found on wallethub.com.

Most Stressed wallethub stressful cities in texas reports texas health

Deep Ellum news

Law enforcement to beef up in Deep Ellum following Halloween shootings

Photo by Scott Rodgerson on Unsplash

undefined

Law enforcement will beef up its presence in a Dallas entertainment district where several deadly shootings occurred over the weekend, federal authorities announced Monday, November 2 as they joined elected officials nationwide in decrying gun violence in popular public places.

Across the country, numerous mass shootings on Halloween weekend left at least 10 people dead and dozens more injured. In Dallas, three shootings in Deep Ellum, a neighborhood of music and restaurants, left four people dead and 15 injured over the span of an hour and 15 minutes early Sunday.

“Everyone deserves the freedom to walk down the street, to celebrate a fun night out during our nation’s holidays and to simply exist in public without fear for their safety or their children’s safety,” Ryan Raybould, U.S. attorney for the northern district of Texas, said at a news conference.

Many shootings occurred around gathering spots during the confluence of what might be one of the last spells of warm weather this year that drew large crowds outside on Halloween, which this year happened to fall on a weekend.

As investigators continued to look for suspects and the motives behind the shootings, word spread of even more mass violence over the weekend. Two separate shootings occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, after the annual “Magic City Classic” college football game Saturday night. And police in college towns reported shootings in their nightlife districts where annual Halloween gatherings are popular, including in Fayetteville, Arkansas; Newark, Delaware; Bloomington, Illinois; and Bloomington, Indiana.

'The violence has to end'
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said police are pursuing leads on possible suspects in the Deep Ellum shootings, which he called “senseless” and the result of arguments. It's undetermined if the shootings were related.

Comeaux and Raybould were joined by others at a news conference to announce “Operation Deep Cover,” a federal and local law enforcement response to gun violence in Deep Ellum.

Raybould said one man who allegedly wore a ski mask and pointed a loaded gun in the direction of a crowd in Deep Ellum was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The entertainment district experienced deadly violence earlier this year. Two people were fatally stabbed outside a nightclub in February, and a security guard was shot and killed while trying to break up a fight inside a nightclub in May. Among nonfatal shootings, five people were wounded outside of a sports bar in May, police said.

“The violence has to end, and it will end,” Raybould said. “I’m tired of reading the news stories.”

Operation Deep Cover
Both uniformed and plain clothes police will cover Deep Ellum, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ says uniformed officers will provide a visible presence to deter violence, while the others blend in with the public but will operate alongside them. Those who would commit crimes will not know when they're being watched or who is watching.

Operation Deep Cover, according to the DOJ will:

Increase resources: Devote more federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to Deep Ellum.
Strengthen coordination: Establish a direct line of communication with DPD for crimes in Deep Ellum, with monthly meetings led by the Chief of Violent Crime.
Prosecute aggressively: Pursue drug and firearm offenses aggressively.
Prioritize federal prosecution: Bring cases federally wherever the facts and law support federal charges.
Review past cases: Review cases from 2024 to the present and charge federal offenses where the evidence supports charges.
Dedicate intake team: Work with Dallas County through an intake team led by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy Fugate and Caroline Poore from the Violent Crimes Section to help ensure that no eligible case is overlooked.

Operation Deep Cover will involve FBI, ATF, DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Dallas Police Department.

deep ellum crime