Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Van, Texas, Tornado Blamed for $40M in Damage
May 18 2015 // An emergency official says a deadly tornado that blasted an East Texas town left behind about $40 million in damage. Van Zandt County emergency management coordinator Chuck Allen provided the damage estimate as recovery...
People – South Central
May 18 2015 // U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. named Brian Edwards a senior broker in the Dallas office of U.S. Risk Brokers Inc. Edwards has more than 12 years of experience in the insurance industry. He specializes in brokerage of...
Texas Senate Passes Property Claim Litigation Bill
May 18 2015 // The Texas Senate on April 30 passed a bill aimed at stemming the onslaught of property claim litigation that has been occurring with increasing frequency in the state following natural catastrophes. Advocates of Senate...
Texas Bill Preventing Local Drilling Bans Goes to Governor
May 18 2015 // A Texas bill banning its own cities from imposing prohibitions on hydraulic fracturing and other potentially environmentally harmful oil and natural gas drilling activities within their boundaries has been sent to Gov....
Texas-Based Sally Beauty Confirms Second Data Breach
May 15 2015 // The Sally Beauty chain, headquartered in Denton, Texas, has confirmed that it has suffered its second data breach in just over two years. The beauty products seller notified customers earlier this month that it was...
Texas Driver ‘Inattentive’ in Bridge Crash; Review Ongoing
May 14 2015 // Texas Department of Public Safety says investigators are still trying to determine what caused a tractor-trailer to strike a partially constructed bridge over Interstate 35 in March, leading to the death of a...
Texas Construction Safety Group Gets $2.1M Dividend from Insurer
May 13 2015 // Workers compensation insurer, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., recently awarded a dividend of $2,159,751 to the Texas Construction Association safety group. The dividend was earned based on the group members’ dedication...
Disasters Declared in Arkansas, Texas Following Severe Weather
May 13 2015 // Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared a state of disaster in counties hit in recent days by severe weather that’s included tornadoes, thunderstorms and heavy rains that brought flooding. Likewise, Arkansas Gov. Asa...
5 Dead After Twisters Hit Texas, Arkansas
May 12 2015 // Emergency responders on May 11 searched through wreckage in parts of the states of Texas and Arkansas after a line of tornadoes battered several small communities, killing at least five people, including a young couple...
Wild Weather Leaves 1 Dead in Texas; Tornados, Flooding Reported
May 11 2015 // Several tornadoes ripped through the northern part of Texas, leaving one person dead and others unaccounted for in a sparsely populated area over the weekend, authorities said. One of the tornadoes on Saturday shattered...
4.0 Mag Quake in North Texas; Disposal Wells to Be Tested
May 11 2015 // The Texas Railroad Commission is requiring the operators of five disposal wells near a sharp earthquake to perform some tests. In a statement, the commission says Bosque Disposal Systems LLC, EOG Resources Inc.,...
Blue Bell Likely Aware of Listeria Problems in 2013: FDA
May 8 2015 // Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries likely knew as early as 2013 of a Listeria problem at its Oklahoma plant and did not do enough to make sure its factory was sanitized, according to documents from the U.S. Food and Drug...
NTSB: Chopper Hoist Was Spinning Before Texas Nurse’s Fatal Fall
May 6 2015 // Investigators say a hoist suspended from a medical helicopter, which was carrying a nurse and patient from a Texas hiking trail, was spinning just before the nurse fell to her death. The National Transportation Safety...
Texas-Based Sally Beauty Reports Unusual Payment Card Activity
May 5 2015 // Texas-based Sally Beauty said that it is investigating reports of unusual activity on payment cards used at some of its U.S. stores. The beauty products seller said that it is working with law enforcement and its credit...
Texas Bill Preventing Cities from Banning Oil Drilling Sent to Governor
May 5 2015 // Texas cities would no longer be able to ban oil and gas companies from drilling inside municipal limits under a bill lawmakers sent to Governor Greg Abbott. Final passage of the legislation in the state Senate is a win for...
Business Moves
May 4 2015 // AssuredPartners, Platinum Planning AssuredPartners Inc. has completed the acquisition of Platinum Planning (doing business as Walsh Benefits). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Walsh Benefits operates in the New...
Beating Up on Workers’ Comp: Grand Bargain Taking Jabs from Multiple Directions
May 4 2015 // The state-based workers’ compensation system has stayed on its feet for 100 years in part by being able to defend itself against blows and then counterpunch when necessary. It has shown an ability to reform to fit...
Texas Among Top 5 States for Vehicle Thefts with Keys Left Inside
May 4 2015 // More and more drivers are making it easy for thieves. A new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has found an increasing number of thefts of vehicles with the keys left inside. For the years 2012 through...
People – South Central
May 4 2015 // Julia Miller Spracklen, J.D., has joined Texas-based independent insurance brokerage firm, Roach Howard Smith & Barton, as vice president of risk services, responsible for overseeing the employees and function of the...
North Texas Hit with Tornadoes, Large Hail
May 4 2015 // The National Weather Service said as many as 12 tornadoes and hail the size of softballs pounded portions of north Texas during the weekend of April 24 – 26. The Insurance Council of Texas reported that the storms...
