The Standard’s news roundup gives you a quick hit of interesting, sometimes irreverent, and breaking news stories from all over the state.
It’s a given that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) workers are in high demand right now. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates STEM professions will increase 1.7 times faster than occupations in other fields between 2010 and 2020.
So the finance site WalletHub wanted to figure out which American cities were the best for folks in STEM. Jill Gonzalez, an analyst with the website, says the Texas city that’s best for tech isn’t especially shocking.
“I don’t think it would come as a surprise Austin was number 1 in Texas, number 6 out of the 100 cities that we looked at for tech professionals,” she says. “We know it’s a booming tech hub when it comes to things like healthcare. So that’s really not a surprise here. When we’re just looking at current job openings right now, there’s about 50 for every 1,000 residents. So, that’s a lot. That’s a big number actually. Even though it might not sound like a lot. And right now, we’re seeing that STEM employment is about 12 percent of total employment there and that’s the fourth highest in the country.”
So, Austin had the best showing for the Lone Star state. The Texas area that was the worst for STEM professionals?
“McAllen-Edinburg-Mission – that metro area actually [ranked] 99 out of the 100 cities that we looked at,” she says. “Not the best place for STEM professionals right now – in fact, it makes up less than 2 percent of the total employment there which was the lowest number we saw. Not necessarily saying it’s a bad city to get a job, but a STEM job? Maybe not.”
The city that clocked in at 100 overall was Jackson, Mississippi.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off a yearlong tour of the U.S. in Dallas yesterday. It’s part of his 2017 personal challenge to meet people in all 50 states. He spent Monday planting fruits and veggies in a community garden as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. He also met with Dallas Police about social media’s effects on law enforcement.
But status update – Zuckerberg isn’t leaving the Big D just yet.
He’s due in a Dallas Federal Court today to testify in a lawsuit that claims a virtual reality company Facebook acquired relied on stolen technology. Video game maker Zenimax is suing for 2-billion-dollars – the amount Zuckerberg spent on Oculus.
Are you a fan of SpongeBob SquarePants? Well, there’s one Texas man who isn’t.
Javier Ramos owns IJR Capital Investments in Houston – he wanted to open a restaurant named The Krusty Krab of Kemah. But Viacom International which owns Nickelodeon argued the restaurant was trying to cash in on the cartoon restaurant of the same name.
A U.S. District judge sided with Viacom, saying customers would think this restaurant was in some way related to the show. Ramos plans to appeal the decision and told the Houston Press, “I don’t think SpongeBob is that famous.”
