This week's hot headlines

Meaty restaurant news leads this week's 5 hottest Dallas headlines

More red meat in Dallas.

Courtesy photo

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. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that list here.

1. Meaty newcomer downtown makes this Dallas restaurant news muy macho. This roundup of Dallas dining news has a surprising number of openings, either in the works or already here. There's also a slew of new menu items coming online, some of which are pumpkin in theme. There are some exciting new chefs in town. Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news.

Fancy prefab homes are on the way. Modular home has a simple, uncluttered design. HiFab

2. West Dallas developer launches new venture building fancy prefab homes. Oaxaca Interests, the Dallas real estate company that developed Sylvan Thirty in West Oak Cliff, is expanding into modular homes, with a manufacturing plant in Grand Prairie and a new product that's already for sale. The manufacturing outfit is called HiFAB, and their first product is Haciendas, featuring homes designed by Lake|Flato, a San Antonio architecture firm.

inchworm The worm is not even an inch long. agrilife.org

3. Tiny green inchworm is devouring its way across Dallas trees. There's a sticky situation developing across Dallas-Fort Worth: It's the invasion of the cankerworm and it's literally hanging around outside your door. Cankerworms AKA inchworms are tiny caterpillars that feed off trees, especially the hackberry which is their favorite, and in fall 2022, they've arrived in North Texas with a vengeance.

Cliff May-designed home House at 11106 Snow White is a sprawling ranch. Hunter Dehn Realty

4. Rare home in Dallas' Disney streets designed by Cliff May is for sale. There's a stunning mid-century modern home for sale in Dallas' famed Disney streets neighborhood by legendary architect Cliff May. Located at 11106 Snow White Dr., the house was built in 1955 and miraculously retains some original features, particularly some delicious wood paneling.

High 5 There'll be bowling, axes, escape rooms, and more. Courtesy rendering

5. Mega entertainment complex from Austin to open at The Farm in Allen. There's a little bit of Austin fun coming to Allen: High 5 Entertainment, an experiential entertainment company, will open a massive gaming venue in the splashy new development The Farm in Allen, where it promises to unleash a copious dose of games and amusements.

news-you-can-eat nature home-for-sale concerts hot-headlines

Rivers wild

Ethan Hawke narrates new documentary that deep-dives into Texas rivers

Cropped still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The Rio Grande is one of the stunning subjects of Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers.

One Texas film icon passes the torch to another for a deep dive on Texas' river ecosystems in the upcoming documentary Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers. Matthew McConaughey narrated the original 2022 film, Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story. Now Ethan Hawke narrates the follow-up, which will be in theaters September 25.

Deep in the Heart 2 is directed by Ben Masters, a nature-obsessed Texan who was born and raised in Amarillo and has followed wildlife around the state and beyond. Working with his crew at Fin & Fur Films, Masters explores the Rio Grande, the Sabine River, and the Neches River, a press release says, coming across otters, turkeys, alligator snapping turtles, and more.

This underwater shot was taken in San Marcos.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The original Deep in the Heart took a broad view of Texas — both its landscapes and their inhabitants — while the "sequel," as the release calls it, specifically highlights water. Conservation is an important angle, and viewers will get a chance to consider how they could connect with and protect the ecosystems on their screens.

"Most of my favorite memories are on Texas Rivers," said Masters in the release. "I grew up on the Canadian, fell in love on the Brazos, got married on the Guadalupe, found adventure on the Rio Grande, and am raising my kids on the Colorado."

The filmmaker says that spending three years filming his natural subjects gave him "a newfound appreciation" for rivers and how distinct they are from one another.

Amazing cinematography was a hallmark of the original film, and the sequel offers more beautiful shots.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

"We spent months filming mountain lions on the Pecos, snapping turtles on the Neches, otters on the Sabine, fatmuckets on the Llano, and whooping cranes in the Guadalupe's Estuary," Masters said. "Editing the majesty of Texas Rivers into 80 minutes was a huge challenge, and I'm just incredibly grateful to work with such a talented team of cinematographers, editors, producers, and musicians."

Hawke, born in Austin and raised in Fort Worth, is known for acting in the Dead Poets Society, Gattaca, the Richard Linklater films Boyhood and Blue Moon, and more. He has taken up causes in environmental advocacy for years and appeared in other ecology-focused films, including the intense fictional First Reformed (2018) and a goofy anti-littering PSA with TxDOT (2023).

Some unexpected guests in the Rio Grande.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The film was made in association with H-E-B, a regular supporter of ecological documentaries and initiatives, and conservation organization Texan by Nature. Other collaborators include producer Josh Winkler, editor Sam Klatt, assistant editor Chet Stefan, and composer Noah Sorota. The musical score is performed by Dallas Chamber Symphony.

animals documentaries ecology ethan hawke film matthew mcconaughey movies nature texas wildlife