Texas / South Central News

Texas Fires Have Emitted a Near-Record Amount of Carbon

Texas fires released roughly 3.4 million metric ton of carbon dioxide in January and February, according to a new analysis. In January, Texas fires pumped out 440,400 tons of CO2 emissions, according to Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service data shared with …

Texas Committee to Investigate Panhandle Wildfires

LUBBOCK — Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan is creating a legislative committee to investigate the Texas Panhandle wildfires to ensure the state is prepared for future disasters. His Tuesday announcement comes more than two weeks after the deadly infernos first …

Oklahoma House Passes Bill to Fund Fortified Homes Program

Oklahoma lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill that would provide financial grants to residents to construct or retrofit homes, making them more resilient against the destructive forces of tornadoes, windstorms and hail. House Bill 3089, …

Texas, Oklahoma Areas Face New Extreme Fire Risks: Weather Watch

Red flag fire warnings are up across the Texas Panhandle, as well as parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas, the National Weather Service said. While critical fire conditions exist in a wide swath of that area, the region around …

People Moves: Stratico Appointed Professional Liability Practice Leader at Brown & Riding

Brown & Riding, headquartered in Dallas, appointed Bill Stratico national professional liability practice leader. Stratico has over 35 years of industry experience. He joined Brown & Riding in 2010 as a management and professional liability broker and most recently served …

Xcel Texas Wildfire Legal Reckoning to Take Years to Play Out

(Xcel Energy Inc. will likely be wrangling for years with the legal fallout from the wildfires burning through the Texas Panhandle. The experience of utility companies in California and Oregon sued over massive blazes sparked by downed power lines shows …

Texas Firefighters Make Progress Containing Panhandle Wildfires

LUBBOCK — Texas firefighters are gaining more control over the remaining wildfires in the Panhandle, more than two weeks after the infernos first engulfed large swaths of the region and burned more than 1 million acres. As of Monday, the …

Huge Texas Blaze Shows Power-Line Fires Are a Widespread Threat

Massive wildfires sparked by power lines used to be a California problem, one many utility executives considered safely confined to the Golden State. No more. Texas officials on Thursday blamed the state’s largest-ever fire on electrical lines sparking in dry …

Drought and Extreme Heat Devastate Louisiana’s Crawfish Harvest

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Amid a crawfish shortage in Louisiana, the nation’s top producer of the crustaceans that are a staple in Gulf Coast seafood boils, Gov. Jeff Landry issued a disaster declaration for the impacted industry last week. …

Louisiana Commissioner Temple Seeks $20M for Fortify Homes Program

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple expects lawmakers to allocate at least $20 million to the Lousiana Fortify Homes Program during the legislative session that begins on Monday. The funds would applied to the program for use in the next fiscal …

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