Clouds of thick black smoke and jets of fire began pouring from a chemical plant south of Dallas on Monday. The flames prompted area evacuations, including students attending classes at both a nearby elementary school and a college.
Texas
Cooper Stone, Son of Fallen Texas Rangers Fan, Throws Out First Pitch
With his favorite player, Josh Hamilton, as catcher, the 6-year-old wound up and threw a perfect strike as the crowd rose to its feet.
Convict Finds Freedom Overwhelming, Starts a Fire and Heads Back to Jail
What’s scarier than being locked up in a Texas prison for 26 years? Returning to a world you no longer recognize.
Texas Prisons End Last-Meal Tradition on Death Row
Convicted murderer Lawrence Russell Brewer’s lavish dinner order before his execution on Wednesday prompted Senator John Whitmire to call for an end to the “inappropriate” practice.
Officials: Trees and Power Lines Were Likely Culprits Behind Texas Wildfire
Officials said trees falling on two separate power lines were the likely cause of Texas’ massive wildfire that resulted in two deaths and the destruction of more than 1,500 homes.
Area Schools Reopen After Massive Texas Wildfire
The worst single wildfire in Texas state history has charred tens of thousands of acres. But a glimmer of progress occurred Monday, when students returned to school in the county that suffered some of the worst destruction.
Officials Partially Contain Texas Wildfire, Search for Missing Residents
At least 1,554 homes have been destroyed by the worst wildfire in state history.
Tweet This: What It’s Like Being the Other Rick Perry
News flash: @RickPerry is not running for President. Instead he’s the motorcycle-riding pastor at Haven of Hope, a small Pentecostal church near Yale University in West Haven, CT.
Reading While Eating for September 7: Back to School
Wednesday’s links mark the start of the school year with important life lessons and classroom nostalgia.
The Most Creative (and Ridiculous) State Fair Food: Fried Bubble Gum
They say everything’s bigger in Texas – even the fried-food offerings at their state fair.
Disastrous Texas Wildfire Now Worst in State’s History
It’s razed hundreds of homes, blackened tens of thousands of acres, and forced some 5,000 people to evacuate. And with all that, it’s now officially the worst single wildfire in Texas state history.
Video: 500 Homes Torched in Texas Wildfire
A 16-mile-wide blaze southeast of Austin has scorched more than 25,000 acres as firefighters struggle to contain the fire.