Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
UT/TT Poll: It’s a Highly Partisan Issue but Texans Say Climate Change Is Happening
Nov 7 2019 // Two-thirds of Texas registered voters believe climate change is happening, but their urgency about it varies considerably, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Less than a quarter of voters —...
UT Study: Earthquakes in West Texas Have Dramatically Increased
Nov 5 2019 // West Texas has seen a dramatic increase in earthquakes, jumping from 19 in 2009 to 1,600 in 2017 alone, according to a new study published on Nov. 4 by the University of Texas at Austin. The study, which was published in...
Texas Mutual Donates $100K to Community Foundation for Dallas Tornado Recovery
Nov 4 2019 // Workers’ compensation insurer, Texas Mutual Insurance Co. has donated $100,000 to Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT), the state’s largest community foundation. The donation, which will go toward CFT’s...
Insurer Group: Dallas Tornado Outbreak Costliest in Texas History
Nov 4 2019 // The nine confirmed tornadoes that hit the Dallas, Texas-area late on Sunday, Oct. 20 have caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, an insurer trade group says, making it the costliest tornado loss in Texas history. The...
Nearly Half of Traffic Deaths in Texas Occur in Energy Producing Areas
Nov 4 2019 // The number of roadway fatalities has risen in Texas’ oil and gas production areas, state transportation officials say. Nearly half of all traffic deaths in the state now occur in energy producing locales, according...
Survey Shows Gaps in Building Codes Put Texas Coastal Residents at Risk
Nov 4 2019 // More than 7 million Texans live in Texas coastal areas that are vulnerable to hurricanes, according to an insurance industry-backed research and communications organization. A survey of cities and counties along the Texas...
San Antonio Spa/Resort to Pay $2.6M to Settle National Origin Discrimination Suit
Nov 1 2019 // The former operators of a spa and resort in San Antonio, Texas, to pay $2,625,000 to settle a national origin discrimination lawsuit brought by a federal agency. The lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity...
Higher Limits of Liability for 2020 Disapproved for Texas Windstorm Insurer
Nov 1 2019 // In mid-October, Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan denied a request by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) to raise its maximum liability limits for new and renewal policies with an effective date of...
U.S. Safety Board: No Alert System at Texas Petrochemical Facility Damaged by Fire
Nov 1 2019 // A company that owns a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility which burned for days in March didn’t have an alert system in place to warn of releases from its tanks, a federal agency investigating the blaze said...
Texas Warns of Insurance Deductibles Scam Following Dallas Storms
Oct 30 2019 // Texans with property in locations that were hit by the severe weather that swept through Dallas and North Texas on Sunday, Oct. 20 are now targets of a scam involving insurance deductibles, insurance regulators say. The...
Womack Named Vice Chair, Morrison Secretary-Treasurer at Texas Windstorm Insurer
Oct 30 2019 // The board of directors of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) have elected two individuals to fill the recently vacated executive positions of vice chair and secretary-treasurer. TWIA public representative...
Texas Oilfield Worker Killed by Poisonous Gas; Wife Dies Checking on Him
Oct 30 2019 // A 44-year-old Texas oil company worker died after being overcome by poisonous gas at a pump house, and his 37-year-old wife also was killed by the fumes when she went to check on him. The Ector County Sheriff’s...
Insurer Group: Dallas Tornado Outbreak Costliest in Texas History
Oct 25 2019 // The nine tornadoes that hit the Dallas, Texas-area over the weekend have caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, an insurer trade group says, making it the costliest tornado loss in Texas history. The Insurance Council...
Meyer Named Interim Executive Director at Texas Surplus Lines Stamping Office
Oct 24 2019 // Don Meyer has been appointed interim executive director at the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX). The appointment, approved by the SLTX board of directors, was effective Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. Meyer has more...
9 Tornadoes Confirmed in North Texas Outbreak; Insured Losses Pegged at $2B
Oct 24 2019 // The National Weather Service says nine tornadoes struck the Dallas area during Sunday’s stretch of severe storms in Texas. Forecasters confirmed the twisters Tuesday after surveying damage throughout North Texas. The...
Texas Man Convicted of $1.7M Arson, Insurance Fraud Scheme
Oct 23 2019 // A southeast Texas man has been found guilty charges related to an arson and insurance fraud scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported. According to U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown, a...
Texas Dentist Office Settles Federal Pregnancy Discrimination Case for $20K
Oct 23 2019 // Federal employment officials say the Texas-based dental business will pay $20,000 and provide other relief to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s...
Texas Voters to Decide on Proposition to Create Fund for Flood Prevention, Recovery
Oct 23 2019 // State lawmakers want to create a dedicated $800 million fund for flood prevention and recovery that would be safe from future legislative budget fights. They’re asking Texas voters to weigh in via a constitutional...
Flatt Joins Higginbotham as EVP; Will Open Midland Office
Oct 22 2019 // Tim Flatt has joined Fort Worth, Texas-based independent insurance broker, Higginbotham, as an employee benefits executive vice president. Flatt will open Higginbotham’s first Midland office, bringing the...
3 Twisters Confirmed in North Texas; Governor Issues Disaster Declaration
Oct 21 2019 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that three tornadoes ripped through North Texas on Sunday night, two in Dallas County and one in Van Zandt County, arising out of a storm system that caused widespread damage...
