The Standard’s news roundup gives you a quick hit of interesting, sometimes irreverent, and breaking news stories from all over the state.
If it’s been awhile since you visited the dentist or if your dental floss is buried deep in a bathroom drawer somewhere rarely seeing the light of day – you’re not alone. Texans, on the whole, are not exactly keeping up with their dental health.
Jill Gonzalez is with the website WalletHub, which looked at 23 different metrics to figure out which states have the healthiest teeth.
“It might be time for Texas to make a dental appointment. It ranked 45th out of all 50 states plus D.C., so in the bottom 10 here,” she says.
What put Texas so low on the list?
“There’s a pretty large percentage of people who have very often experienced problems sleeping in the last year due to the condition of their mouth or teeth,” Gonzales says. “About 11 percent of Texans complained about that, that was the third highest number we saw. And almost 15 percent said that their life, in general, is less satisfying because of their teeth and that’s the largest number we came across. So, having problems with your mouth or teeth can become quite serious. It really does affect more than eating or speaking.”
The state with the worst dental health was West Virginia, while Minnesota had the best.
Last night’s Super Bowl at NRG Stadium was a nail biter. But how did fans feel about the rest of their time in Houston? Houston Public Media’s Gail Delaughter caught up with folks Sunday night as the crowds cleared after the game:
The strategy was not just on the football field. After the big game, Metro had to funnel thousands of fans to the light rail platform just outside NRG Stadium.
Watching the process unfold was Chris Baumann, a Patriots fan from Scarborough, Maine.
“Well I used to work in collegiate athletics so I’ve done a lot of event management and they’ve done a really fantastic job, absolutely.”
It was his first trip to Houston and he says he really enjoyed the southern hospitality.
Baumann’s appraisal was shared by many of the folks we chatted with — including disappointed Falcons fan Tony Harkey.
He’s from Mt Pleasant, North Carolina, a town of about 1,600 people.
Harkey says he felt very safe in Houston.
“Everything looks good. It looks very secure. I feel welcome. A lot of good fans. Everybody’s behaved.”
Not everything went as smoothly as the Patriots final drive on Super Bowl Sunday.
A bicyclist was hit by a Metro light rail train near Loop 610. The rider was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.
A Texas congressman has scheduled a hearing this week called “Making EPA Great Again.” U.S. Rep.Lamar Smith chairs the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and is a vocal skeptic of man-made climate change.
The Tuesday hearing is supposed to “examine the Environmental Protection Agency’s process for evaluating and using science during its regulatory decision-making activities.”
It’s the first time the committee is meeting since President Donald Trump took office. Trump has repeatedly referred to climate change as a “hoax.”
