This Week's Hot Headlines

Giant new Ferris wheel towers over this week's 5 most-read Dallas stories

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines.

1. Dallas suburb nabs new Ferris wheel that rivals Fair Park's famed Texas Star. The Grandscape in The Colony has debuted the Grandscape Wheel, a nearly 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel that rivals the Texas Star, a State Fair of Texas mainstay. Opened September 10, the Grandscape Wheel features 42 climate-controlled gondolas with music for riders to enjoy views of The Colony, nearby Frisco, and the North Texas skyline.

2. Number of North Texas 'super commuters' driven up by almost 50 percent. The number of so-called “super commuters” — those traveling at least 90 minutes to get to work, and another 90 minutes or more to get home — rose 49 percent in the Dallas-Fort Worth region from 2010 to 2019. That’s according to a new analysis by Apartment List of data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

3. Cafe Express space at Dallas' Mockingbird Station lands a fine new restaurant. There's a new tenant for one of the most prominent restaurant spots in Dallas – namely the former Cafe Express at Mockingbird Station. It's called The Finch and according to a release, it'll be a chic new restaurant serving American fare, opening in spring 2022.

4. Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 bars with roomy outdoor patios. Even before the pandemic, patios were a big thing. Dallas has the weather to support them nearly year-round and has amassed a collection of well-known outdoor spaces. Now, during these pandemic times, you want distance. You want your own space. These five big patios give a nice beverage and plenty of room to drink it.

5. Quirky and charming shipping-container hotel is Fredericksburg's cutest new escape. One of Fredericksburg’s newest overnight accommodations takes the shipping-container building trend next-level. Odonata Escape, opened by Austin residents and husband-and-wife duo Davis and Mary Susan Gilmer in late 2020, is a secluded vacation compound created from several brightly painted, cargo-worthy shipping containers.

The Grandscape Wheel is now open for rides with a view.

Photo courtesy of Grandscape

The Grandscape Wheel is now open for rides with a view.

RIP Joe

Texas country music singer-songwriter Joe Ely dies at 78

Joe Ely/Facebook

Joe Ely was a major figure in Texas' progressive country scene.

Joe Ely, the legendary songwriter, singer, and storyteller whose career spanned more than five decades, has died from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. He was 78.

According to a statement posted to his Facebook page, Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, with his wife Sharon, and daughter Marie, at his side.

Born February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock and became a central figure among a generation of influential West Texas musicians. He later settled in Austin, helping shape the city’s reputation as a hub for live music.

"Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

In the 1970s, Ely signed with MCA Records, launching a career that included decades of recording and touring around the world. His work and performances left a lasting impact on the music scene and influenced a wide range of artists, including the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

"His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings."

Read the full story at KVUE.com.

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