Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Mulling Restrictions on Wastewater in Oil Country as Quakes Increase
Dec 6 2018 // Texas is considering new restrictions on how shale explorers dispose of wastewater from oil drilling as earthquakes rattle the largest oil-producing American state. The new rules would target how much and at what pressure...
2018 Texas Surplus Lines Premium Numbers Surpass 2017 Total
Dec 5 2018 // At the end of November, the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) had recorded $5.57 billion in Texas surplus lines premium, exceeding the $5.46 billion total reported for the full-year of 2017. This represents a...
Investigators: Driver Fatigue Contributed to Deadly 2016 Texas Bus Crash
Dec 5 2018 // A bus driver with “acute sleep deficit” failed to stay in his lane and caused his vehicle to careen out of control, resulting in a wreck that killed nine people and injured nearly 40 others in 2016, federal...
Only a Fraction of Patients Benefit from Medical Cannabis under Texas Law
Dec 5 2018 // Fewer than 600 of an estimated 150,000 Texas patients with uncontrollable epileptic seizures have been prescribed a low-THC oil derived from cannabis under the state’s restrictive medical marijuana program. Roughly...
Texas Senate Panel: Feds Paid Most of Harvey $2.7B Recovery Cost so Far
Dec 4 2018 // Hurricane Harvey recovery will end up costing the state as much as $2 billion, according to a report released Nov. 30 by the Texas Senate’s budget-writing panel, although it said costs may fluctuate based on how much...
Several Injured in North Texas School Bus/Car Accident
Dec 3 2018 // Investigators say one adult has been critically injured and several students were slightly hurt when a school bus was hit head-on by a car in North Texas. The Department of Public Safety says the Bridgeport Independent...
Business Moves
Dec 3 2018 // Hilb Group, Burns & Eustice Insurance Agency Hilb Group LLC has acquired Michigan-based Burns & Eustice Insurance Agency. B&E has been offering property/casualty insurance products and services to businesses...
Texas’ Hotchkiss Insurance Hires 2 in Employee Benefits Division
Nov 30 2018 // Hotchkiss Insurance, a Texas-based full-service independent agency, has expanded its employee benefits division with the addition of Chris Hamilton as the employee benefits practice leader and Natalie Cooper as an account...
Issuer Credit Rating of Texas Mutual Insurance Upgraded by A.M. Best
Nov 29 2018 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “a+” from “a” and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) of Texas Mutual Insurance Company (Texas...
Credit Ratings of Texas Hospital Insurance Exchange Upgraded
Nov 28 2018 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “bbb” from “bbb-” of Texas Hospital Insurance...
Texas Mutual Grants $100K to Houston Construction Trade Training Center
Nov 28 2018 // Workers’ compensation carrier Texas Mutual Insurance Co. has awarded a $100,000 grant to the nonprofit Construction Career Collaborative (C3) to strengthen the skilled craft workforce in the Greater Houston...
Kentucky Woman Sues Texas Roadhouse Chain Over Breastfeeding
Nov 28 2018 // A Kentucky woman who says a Texas Roadhouse employee told her to cover up while she was breastfeeding is suing the restaurant chain for emotional distress. Sadie Durbin is quoted by news outlets as saying the employee...
Managing Natural Disasters Becomes Priority for Nation’s Governors
Nov 28 2018 // Governors have a wide range of priorities they want to tackle in the coming year, from tax reform to education. Yet it’s a topic that receives less attention on the campaign trail and in their speeches that could...
Report: Hurricane Harvey Was a Sign of Things to Come, Climate-Wise
Nov 27 2018 // Texas should brace for more — and worse — Hurricane Harveys, according to a major scientific report made public on Nov. 23 by the Trump administration. Based on the research of hundreds of government and academic...
Texas’ Murex Petroleum to Pay $50K to Settle Race Harassment Suit
Nov 26 2018 // A Texas-based oil and gas company will pay $50,000 to settle a racial harassment lawsuit involving a black employee in North Dakota. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement Wednesday with...
Texas Food Manufacturer Recalls Pork Rolls in Listeria Outbreak
Nov 26 2018 // Authorities have traced a multi-state listeria outbreak which has hospitalized four people to a Houston-based Vietnamese food manufacturer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Long Phung Food Products issued a recall...
Beach Town Developers Now Believe in Stronger Building Codes, Construction
Nov 21 2018 // Developer Jeff Lamkin knew the risks when he paid $250 million for 63 acres of an island off the Texas coast. But he saw only upside in the quaint little beach town of Port Aransas. Over the next 10 years he built Cinnamon...
Texas Surplus Lines Stamping Office Launching ‘SMART’ Online Filing System in 2019
Nov 20 2018 // The Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) plans to launch “SMART,” its new online filing system in 2019. SLTX unveiled the new online system in a video presentation at the Texas Surplus Lines...
Texas Woman Sentenced for ‘Double Dipping’ on Workers’ Comp
Nov 20 2018 // A New Braunfels, Texas, woman must perform community service and pay more than $7,000 in restitution after being sentenced on workers’ compensation fraud charges. Texas Mutual Insurance Co. reported that Carolina...
Reliance Partners Opens Austin Office, Names Richards Chief Sales Officer
Nov 20 2018 // Reliance Partners, which specializes in commercial insurance, has added Brandon Richards as chief sales officer and opened a new office in Austin, Texas. Richards is a veteran insurance professional with more than 17 years...
