Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Senate Panel Weighs Input on Stronger Storage Tank Regulations
May 2 2019 // Weeks after a massive fire at a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility garnered national attention, a panel of state lawmakers heard dueling testimony Monday night on a bill that would strengthen state oversight of...
Pollution Charges Filed Against Texas Petrochemical Facility That Burned
May 1 2019 // Water pollution charges have been filed against a company that owns a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility where a large fire that burned for days in March caused chemicals to flow into a nearby waterway. The Harris...
Texas Senate Passes School Safety Bill
Apr 30 2019 // The Texas Senate has approved a bill intended to increase security and prevent on-campus incidents of violence at public schools. Senate Bill 11, by state Sen. Larry Taylor of Friendswood, would direct the Texas Education...
Oh Rats! Pests a Problem in Building That Houses Texas Insurance Department
Apr 30 2019 // On Jan. 16, an employee at the Texas Department of Insurance noticed an unwelcome pest in her fifth-floor office in one of the towers of downtown Austin’s William P. Hobby Jr. State Office Building. Her maintenance...
9: The Number of Tornadoes that Hit East Texas, Louisiana Last Week
Apr 29 2019 // The National Weather Service says at least nine tornadoes were formed during a two-day period of severe weather in eastern Texas and Louisiana. Meteorologist Davyon Hill says seven tornadoes were part of the same parent...
Texas Tops the Nation in Traffic Deaths; Filed Bills Aim to Stem the Tide
Apr 29 2019 // At least one person has died on Texas roads every day since Nov. 7, 2000. Despite efforts to End the Streak, as the Texas Department of Transportation puts it, the state still leads the nation in traffic deaths. Fatalities...
30 Texas University Students Receive Insurance Council Scholarships
Apr 26 2019 // The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) Education Foundation has awarded a total of $40,000 in academic scholarships to 30 students studying insurance and risk management at five Texas universities. The students attend the...
Insurtech, Cover, Now Selling Its Own Auto Policies in Texas
Apr 25 2019 // Cover, a mobile-first insurance brokerage, has begun selling its own auto insurance policies in Texas. The new service — an evolution from the company’s nationally-licensed insurance brokerage — combines a...
Train Cars Carrying Ethanol Derail, Catch Fire in Texas
Apr 25 2019 // At least three horses were killed and several Texas homes evacuated early Wednesday when a train carrying the highly flammable liquid ethanol derailed and caught fire. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the...
Cars Submerged at Dallas Airport Amid Storm Outbreak
Apr 24 2019 // Storms that pummeled North Texas overnight are being blamed for stranding motorists in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and for flooding underground parking lots at a Dallas airport. Dozens of vehicles were submerged in nearly...
Study: $76.4M in Texas Home Values Erased by Flooding Tied to Sea Level Rise
Apr 23 2019 // New research shows that increased tidal flooding caused by sea level rise has eroded $76.4 million in relative property values along the Texas coast between 2005 and 2017. That’s according to a peer-reviewed housing...
Texas Company to Pay $85K to Settle Age Discrimination Suit
Apr 23 2019 // Federal officials say a Fort Worth, Texas-based company will pay $85,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit. The suit against Atlas Energy Group LLC was brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...
Strong Storms Cause Tornadoes, Deaths Across Southeast
Apr 23 2019 // Strong storms roared across the Southeast last week, killing at least two in Mississippi and a woman in Alabama while leaving more than 100,000 people without power across Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. A girl...
SLTX: Surplus Lines Insurance Bills Advancing in Texas
Apr 22 2019 // The Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) reported that several bills that would affect the surplus lines insurance industry in the state have advanced in the state Legislature. HB 1940, relating to the eligibility...
Waco Surf Park Hit with Suit Over Man’s Death From ‘Brain-Eating Amoeba’
Apr 18 2019 // The mother of a New Jersey man who died of a rare “brain-eating amoeba” after visiting a Texas surf resort has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the water park. Health officials say testing found evidence...
Texas Medical Providers to Pay $30K to Settle Disability Discrimination Suit
Apr 17 2019 // Tyler, Texas-based medical providers, Pulmonary Specialists of Tyler and Sleep Health, will pay $30,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by federal regulators. According to the lawsuit filed by U.S....
Experts Give Texas Mixed Reviews on Disaster Preparedness
Apr 17 2019 // More than a year and a half after Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas, killing dozens, the state is still waiting on billions in federal recovery dollars. In the meantime, Texas lawmakers are looking to prepare the state...
Costs Add Up for Texas Fuels Storage Operator After Fire, Chemical Spill
Apr 16 2019 // The costs of a massive fire and chemical spill at a Houston petrochemical facility in March have begun trickling out, with a local official on Monday estimating emergency response costs at $800,000 for the first two weeks...
Proposed Bill Would End Texas’ Controversial Driver Responsibility Program
Apr 15 2019 // Texas’ Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) would be repealed under a bill considered by the Senate Finance Committee, the state Senate reported. The program has been heavily criticized for the financial burden it...
Deadly Storms Sweep Through Texas, Southern States
Apr 15 2019 // Powerful storms that rolled across the South over the weekend spawned tornadoes, damaged homes and killed at least four in Texas, including two children, authorities said. The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office said an...
