Water Damage Restoration in Denton, TX

DENTON – The UNT football team returns to action at home after a bye week and will look to rebound from a two-game skid against unbeaten Army, who will come to DATCU Stadium as the 18^th-ranked team in the country on Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. The game can be seen on ESPN2 with the radio broadcast set for 97.1 The Eagle/The Varsity Network/Sirius XM Channel 391.

Head coach Eric Morris and selected players spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed, among other things, the intricacies of Army's triple option attack and the difficulty of preparing for it, the importance of each possession on Saturday, perhaps an overlooked factor against a team like Army and the program's history of playing ranked teams at home.

Game featuring two productive, unique and very different offenses The Army triple option rushing attack is notoriously difficult to prepare for, which makes last week's bye for the Mean Green especially timely, but it won't be the only unique offense featured in Saturday's game.

Morris made a point on Tuesday to say the Air Raid isn't an easy offense to prepare for either, but it's worth noting it is much more prevalent in the football world than the more antiquated triple option that was developed and widely used in the 1960s.

Essentially, when run to perfection, the triple option forces defenses to trust their eyes and read their keys. A minor slip in technique, and a big play follows. It all starts with the quarterback, who will choose to keep the ball or give to the fullback on the dive. Or, he can do neither, fake the dive and take off laterally with the pitch option to the slotback.

"People have played three down (linemen) and four down against the triple option," Morris said. "It's so unique. You have to have the discipline of reading your keys and when it's executed the right way, it's an art form out there. It's always intrigued me. Mike Leach used to talk about the triple option being similar to the Air Raid in getting the ball to many spaces on the field and making (defenses) cover every space on the field. If you play three-down, they have rules. If you play four-down, they have rules. It's not about coming up with a unique counter to it because they have a plan for everything. There are so many intricacies in what they do and how they run the system."

Both offenses have been plenty productive this year. UNT's pass-heavy offense is third nationally in total offense at 527.6 yards per game, while Army ranks 35th nationally at 433.9 yards per game, but the Black Knights rank first nationally in rushing offense at 340.1 yards per game. They also rank first nationally in team passing efficiency (197.5).

"This game will be fun for people to watch," Morris said. "To be able to do it at a high level, with both offenses, is almost artwork out there. We're trying to accomplish the same thing by getting the ball in so many different spaces, and if you don't have great eye discipline it'll create issues for you. We just do it more by throwing the ball downfield and they do it by running it and getting you up and then throwing it over your head. The schematics are different, but overall, the emphasis of it is to trick the defense's eyes and get the football in space.

"I'd like to learn this offense some time in my career. I've been around great mentors who taught me the Air Raid and helped in incorporating some run game into the Air Raid, but I'd love to study and learn the triple option at some point."

UNT must treat each possession as gold When facing a team that runs the ball as often as Army, teams are often limited in their possessions. In fact, Army ranks fourth nationally in time of possession at 34:01 per game, meaning each and every possession for the Mean Green will be a precious commodity.

To go along with that stat, Army is also tops in the nation in scoring defense (11.3 points per game) and fourth nationally in turnover margin, while UNT ranks 107th nationally in that category.

Limited possession time makes taking care of the ball even more important for UNT on Saturday.

"Every time we get the ball, we have to take advantage of it," senior offensive lineman Landon Peterson said. "We have to execute and do our job and fall back on what we're being coached to do every day."

While the Mean Green often run an up-tempo offense focused on catching the opposing defense off guard or just worn out, Saturday's approach will likely be different against a defense that doesn't make mistakes and a team that will try to limit the amount of time UNT's offense has the ball.

"You have to be mindful of your possessions, and they do a great job at time of possession and utilizing time of possession," Morris said. "Executing and being in the right play is more important than tempo sometimes against these teams because you have to take advantage when you have the ball and can't get behind."

To be sure his team has an adequate number of possessions and doesn't give any away to an aggressive defense, Morris said he and his staff have been stressing winning the turnover battle for the past two weeks.

"We've done an offense vs. defense ball security circuit and are finding ways to get turnovers and emphasizing how important the football is for us," he said. "We've lost the turnover margin these last two games, and with this team and your limited possessions, ball security on the offensive side of the ball is a premium. Then, any time you can steal one from a team like this that prides itself on ball handling is huge."

Punting game could be pivotal for UNT Along with time of possession on Saturday, field position will also be a key thing to watch and flipping the field even when UNT can't score on a drive could be the difference in the game.

So far this season, the Mean Green have been stellar in the punt game, leading the AAC and sitting second in all of FBS in punt return defense (1.2 yards per return) and ranking third in the AAC in net punting (41.31 yards per punt).

"Just transitioning the ball on special teams is going to be a big deal," Morris said. "You know, when someone does break here or there, which will happen in this game, being able to really utilize our punt unit, which has been fantastic all year. I mean, we're one of the top punt units in the nation, as far as not allowing yardage on that. So being able to continue that, and when need be, to flip the field and make them go and drive the whole, entire field will be huge for us."

Mean Green's history against ranked teams in Denton bodes well When Army comes to DATCU Stadium, it will mark the fourth time a ranked opponent has come to Denton, and the Mean Green are 2-1 previously in those games with wins over No. 20 San Diego State in 1974 and No. 15 UTSA in the 2021 regular season finale.

In that most recent game against UTSA, UNT rushed for 340 yards to win 45-23 and earn a bowl bid on the regular season's final day.

Senior nose tackle Roderick Brown was on the field that day and said that experience has helped the team's confidence going into Saturday.

"We had UTSA in here my sophomore year, so this ain't nothing new," Brown said. "It's obviously a big game, but I just let the guys know we can't let that get to us. I'm always confident in us. I'm betting on us over everybody.

"…We're predicted to not beat them, so why not shock the world? Why not UNT?"

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HALLOWEEN — Elm Street in this North Texas city is a nightmare.

There’s a phone booth covered in a neon green ooze. When you pick up the receiver, you hear a cryptic message. A sandworm bursts out of a local business’ patio. A cemetery with rows of tombstones is too close for comfort. The courthouse is lit up in a purple light like a haunted castle. If you walk around on the right night, you might see people carrying machines that beep as they search for roaming spirits while others work to end a witch’s reign.

Welcome to Halloween, Texas, the city formerly known as Denton.

Since Mayor Gerard Hudspeth ceremonially changed Denton’s name for October, residents and tourists have something to scream about. For 31 days, the city’s downtown has been transformed into this spooktacular village.

Cities in Texas and across the U.S. have long hosted events to celebrate Halloween, like trunk-or-treats and haunted houses. Denton cast a different spell this year to enchant guests and is the latest in the state to capitalize on people’s obsession with spooky season.

From costumes to candy and decorations, Halloween is a popular and ever-booming industry. According to WalletHub, a personal finance company that studies consumer spending, 73% of Americans planned to celebrate Halloween last year and nearly $20 billion was spent on the holiday.

Denton — a city of more than 150,000 about 40 miles northwest of Dallas — has tapped into that market this year. The city kicked off its for at the start of the month and has multiple events planned daily through Halloween. The events range from movies at the park to coffin decorating at local businesses and searching for paranormal activity in known haunted buildings. There are decorations all around downtown, businesses crafting specialty menus for patrons, and events that range from fun for all to spine-chilling.

Texans are thirsty for a bloody good time. And other Texas towns have found ways to tap into their history to satisfy that lust.

Cities like Galveston — often considered one of the most haunted cities in America with 8,000 ghosts thought to be milling about since the 1900 hurricane leveled the coastal city — capitalize on these historic tales with ghost walks and more.

In the Rio Grande Valley, people have claimed to see a boy at the Edinburg municipal auditorium. They call the ghostly boy Juanito. He wears a white cotton shirt and sports a mushroom haircut. Residents also have claimed to hear unexplained footsteps and the venue's piano play on its own.

Edinburg also hosts one of the biggest Dia De Los Muertos events in the Valley called “Los Muertos Bailan” which will be held on Oct. 26 this year.

The city launched the event in 2015 and features live performances, a candlelit procession, food, vendors, and an altar that honors deceased members of the community.

The marquee Day of the Dead event draws up to 12,000 people from within the Valley and from outside the region.

"That brings in an economic boost to the city and the region, because once you're here, you have the mall in McAllen, you have a beach in South Padre and you have to go through many cities to get there,” said Magdiel Castle, assistant director of cultural arts for the city.

There’s a lot of interest in events that highlight historical buildings and their ties to the supernatural throughout the state, said Chris Florance, communications director at the Texas Historical Commission. The commission doesn’t keep track of them because there would be too many to count, making it difficult to gauge how much these places impact tourism at a state level.

"You're going to have stories if the building is old enough that someone observed that sort of phenomenon,” Florance said.

They make exceptions when that folklore becomes deeply ingrained in a community’s history. For example, the "Marfa lights" earned a historical marker in 1988 despite no agreement on what the lights are or if they're even real.

The mysterious glowing orbs in West Texas, known as the “Marfa lights” have been spotted on the horizon after sunset. The first recorded sightings stretch as far back as 1883 and have been attributed to aliens, ghosts, or other paranormal causes.

"The fact is for 100 years or more, those folklore and those stories are part of the history of Marfa and so we mark it,” Florance said. "Beyond that, we don't formally track places that are thought to be paranormal.”

This leaves the promotion of these historical places with supernatural lore to local communities. In Edinburg, another site with ties to the supernatural is the old Hidalgo County jail, which houses the Museum of South Texas History.

Host to school field trips, the museum is well-known for its hanging room, where the only person to be executed there throughout the jail’s operation occurred in 1913. Lore says that man now haunts the building.

Francisco Guajardo, CEO of the museum, can downplay the paranormal — he worries about scaring children.

“It's more important to me that we get fourth graders coming to the museum than not,” Guajardo said.

Family-friendly events were a focus for the celebration in Denton when officials began planning. Dustin Sternbeck, chief communications officer for the city, said conversations began last December when leaders were thinking about which holiday to celebrate on a citywide scale. Nearby Grapevine is known as the Christmas Capital of Texas, so Denton went for Halloween. This turned out to be a better fit, as it could blend in with the city’s Arts and Jazz and Day of the Dead festivals.

“When we pitched the idea to the business community and city leadership, there was an immediate buzz in the room,” Sternbeck said.

To drum up excitement and tourism, family-friendly Halloween movies like “Ghostbusters” and “Hocus Pocus” are being shown. There also are tours into Denton’s haunted locations and Cirque du Horror, an original Halloween musical.

“The beauty is there’s a little bit of something for everyone,” Sternbeck. “Whether you want to go on a date night or come out with your family.”

Sunnye Knight, director of the visitor center for Discover Denton, said it was a natural fit for Denton, which includes the University of North Texas and a thriving arts community. Leaning on its more recent history, the city helped bring back a once-beloved art installation, The Chairy Orchard.

The orchard was once the personal collection of hundreds of chairs run by a pair of neighbors who assembled the collection between their homes that closed last year. The city commissioned a new Scary Chairy Orchard outside of City Hall. Each “haunted” chair is designed by artists in the community. One chair has an inflatable UFO that beams light down on whoever sits down on it.

Knight said early data suggests tourism is up tenfold. More than 200 people have visited downtown every day since the celebrations started, not including weekends.

“It’s spooky season, and everybody loves it,” Knight said.

Disclosure: Texas Historical Commission and University of North Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Denton has over a dozen thrift stores and vintage shops, the best of which offer quality items for a reasonable price.

North Texas is in luck: there are multiple spots with this beautiful balance. Here’s a roundup of the top places to thrift shop in town.

Every location on this list has items available for under $10 — and some for only a few bucks. Almost all of them also sell housewares, decor, toys, movies, books, music and more.

If thrifting is a hobby for you and not a necessity, be a good neighbor and don’t over-shop. Stores are listed in no particular order.

And if you’re looking for thrift stores in other parts of the state, check out our handy guide.

Old Bear Vintage ($)

Old Bear has multiple locations in Denton, but this one has the best deals. The curated items are restocked every Friday and prices become cheaper every day after. It also shares a space with the Thistle Creative Reuse crafts store.

Address: 618 W. University Drive, Denton.

Best for: Most unique finds

Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Thrift for Good ($)

Proceeds from this stylish selection go towards whichever charity the donor chooses, so shoppers could potentially support multiple causes in one trip.

Address: 1131 E. McKinney St., Denton.

Best for: Giving to charities

Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Upscale Resale ($)

Part of Denton County Friends of the Family, this shop benefits local survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. On top of a comprehensive clothing selection, it also has home goods and entertainment.

Address: 920 Dallas Drive, Denton.

Best for: Supporting the community

Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Denton Thrift ($)

The mid-sized store has the cheapest inventory in town — of both clothing and beyond — with items starting at 99 cents.

Address: 708 W. University Drive, Denton.

Best for: Lowest prices

Socials: N/A

Thrift Giant ($)

The name may give it away: this is the largest selection in town, with prices ranging from $2 to $10+ per item.

Address: 1701 Brinker Road

Best for: Largest selection

Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Goodwill ($)

This nonprofit chain can be hit-or-miss depending on the store, but this location has a quality, sizable selection with a clean floor and cheap prices.

Address: 2030 W. University Drive, Denton.

Best for: Recognizable name

Socials: Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter)

Note: Over a decade ago, Goodwill Industries first made headlines for paying employees with disabilities sub-minimum wage at some locations. Goodwill North Central Texas does not engage in this practice, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Honorable mention — Old Bear Vintage at Aura Coffee ($$)

This permanent pop-up runs on a weekly schedule. $15 each or two for $25 on weekdays, everything $10 on Saturdays and everything $7 on Sundays. Try Aura’s horchata iced coffee while you’re there.

Address: 1306 W. Hickory St., Denton.

Best for: Sipping while shopping

Socials: Instagram, Facebook

(Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Here is a list of the Denton County early voting locations for the November 5, 2024, general election. Early voting is from October 21st through November 1st.

From Monday, October 21st through Saturday, October 26th, early voting times are from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. On Sunday, October 27th, the polling locations will be open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Then, from October 28th through November 1st, the polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

If you have questions about your ballot, voting locations, or anything else, ask your county election office.

Anderson County | Bosque County | Collin County | Cooke County | Dallas County | Delta County | Denton County | Ellis County | Erath County |Fannin County | Freestone County | Henderson County | Hill County | Hood County | Hopkins County | Hunt County | Jack County | Johnson County | Kaufman County | Lamar County | Navarro County | Palo Pinto County | Parker County | Rains County | Red River County | Rockwall County | Somervell County | Tarrant County | Van Zandt County | Wise County

If you have more questions about the voting process, you can find more information here.

A celebratory event is set for Oct. 17, 2024

Listen to this article 00:01:56

Slick City Action Park, the world’s first indoor dry slide and air court park for all ages, recently expanded into North Texas with the opening of a new location in Denton.

Slick City - Denton is a prime destination for everyday fun and group events, offering massive slides, air courts for basketball and dodgeball, trapeze swings and dedicated junior play areas. Catering to all ages, Slick City provides excitement for thrill-seekers racing down its signature slides, while also offering more junior attractions than any other Slick City location.

To celebrate the opening Slick City is hosting a special event in partnership with Cumberland Youth & Family Services on Oct. 17, 2024, at 4 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Denton Chamber of Commerce in attendance will mark the occasion.

Alongside its thrilling attractions, the Denton location boasts three spacious private party rooms, a second-level mezzanine with a view of the park and mobile food ordering, allowing guests to enjoy drinks and meals from the café right at their table.

“I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and excitement with the growth we have seen. Texas is welcoming us with their spirit for adventure and pride in making everything BIGGER,” Owner & CEO Bron Launsby said in an official statement. “As our first location in the Dallas area, we’ve created an experience unlike any before — with more exhilarating slides, more air courts and more unforgettable fun for all ages.”

The indoor park held a grand opening in August this year and is now open to the public seven days a week.

Slick City - Denton is located at 2434 S I-35 East, Unit 140. This Denton site is part of Slick City’s broader expansion across the U.S., adding to its current locations in Denver, Colorado; St. Louis, Missouri; Peoria, Arizona; and Katy, Texas.

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