Hottest headlines of 2024

Car registration changes rev up Dallas' hottest 2024 city life stories

Texas inspection sticker.

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

Editor's note: Stories about city life were some of our most-read headlines of the year in Dallas. Readers wanted to know all about changes to Texas' car inspection and registration process. They devoured stories about suburbs, population growth, schools, transportation, and more. Here's a look back at the most-read Dallas city life stories of 2024:

1. How the new Texas car inspection law affects end-of-year stickers. Beginning January 1, 2025, Texas vehicle owners will no longer be required to obtain a safety inspection prior to vehicle registration. House Bill 3297, passed during the 88th Legislature in 2023, abolishes the vehicle safety inspection program for regular cars and trucks. Here's what it means for stickers expiring at the end of this year, and here's what to know about changes to the vehicle registration process.

2. Dallas suburb blossoms as America's 29th most livable small city. Some Dallas suburbs stick out from the rest, and now Flower Mound is getting time in the spotlight, thanks to its ranking of No. 29 most livable small city in the country. The tiny but mighty North Texas neighbor was the only Texas city to earn a top-50 ranking in SmartAsset's 2024 "Most Livable Small Cities" report, released in July.

3. Booming Dallas neighbor was the fastest-growing U.S. city in 2023. One Dallas suburb experienced the most rapid growth spurt in the country in 2023: Celina, whose population grew by 26.6 percent, more than 53 times that of the nation’s growth rate of 0.5 percent. According to U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2023 Population Estimates, released Thursday, May 16, Celina - which straddles Collin and Denton counties - topped the list of fastest-growing cities with a population of 20,000 or more.

Celina Celina is booming. Facebook/City of Celina

4. 3 Dallas high schools rank among America's best in 2024, says U.S. News. Three Dallas high schools dominated U.S. News and World Report's prestigious annual list of the country's best public high schools. The 2024 rankings from U.S. News, released April 23, ranked nationally Dallas ISD’s School for the Talented and Gifted, Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, and Science and Engineering Magnet School.

5. Dallas-Fort Worth ranked No. 1 with highest inflation rate in the U.S.Inflation has certainly rattled the national economy, but some cities are feeling that sting harder than others — especially Dallas-Fort Worth. According to January study by personal finance experts WalletHub, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington had been saddled with the No. 1 highest inflation rate in the U.S.

6. North Dallas roadway to close for a year for DART Silver line construction. In January, a portion of a major thoroughfare in North Dallas was about to be shut down for a year: Beginning Thursday, January 25, a portion of Hillcrest Road between McCallum Boulevard and Wester Way in North Dallas was set to be closed for a 52-week period as construction continues for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Silver Line project.

Silver Line DART DART Silver Line train Courtesy photo

7. 2 affluent Dallas suburbs have some of America's richest residents. America's wealthy, increasingly, are turning away from behemoth cities like Los Angeles or New York City in favor of smaller suburbs and enclaves like Dallas neighbors University Park and Southlake. So said a July household income study by GoBankingRates, which listed the two Dallas-Fort Worth towns among the wealthiest American suburbs in 2024.

8. Dallas neighbor shines as the 2nd happiest city in the U.S., report finds. Happy news for Texans living in Plano – they're living in one of the happiest cities in the nation. An April SmartAsset study ranked Plano the No. 2 happiest city in the U.S., based on an analysis of 90 large cities for their residents' quality of life, well being, and personal finances.

9. Here's what it takes to be a middle class earner in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2024. No one wants to hear that they aren't making enough money to be considered "middle class," and those income ceilings are getting more difficult to maintain year after year across all of Dallas-Fort Worth. A report in May revealed Frisco has the No. 8 highest income ceiling for American middle class earners in 2024.

10. Ken Paxton sues State Fair of Texas and other Dallas venues. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued two high-profile Dallas music venues as well as the State Fair of Texas. The lawsuits were filed against The Factory and Texas Trust CU Theatre and allege that off-duty police officers were not allowed to enter with firearms. All three were filed on February 23 in Dallas County district court.

cars dallas suburb high schools lists population growth state fair of texas texas texas car inspection top stories transportation hot-headlines

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).
______________________________
Brianna Caleri contributed to this story.

animals farmers nature