Declarations

Tired and Frustrated

“We’ve been doing this for a long time. … We’re not getting a lot of sleep. We’re tired. We’re frustrated that this is continuing to happen. But we remain strong in our belief that we’re going to find who did this.”

—Clay Alexander with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ office in Tyler, Texas. Federal authorities believe a string of church fires in eastern Texas is the work of a serial arsonist or group of arsonists. Seven churches in eastern Texas and one in central Texas had been set ablaze as of mid-February. AP

A Chilly Message

“I came to America because of the freedom of speech. … This is sending a very chilly message to academics across the country, but especially here in Louisiana.”

—Ivor van Heerden, a native of South Africa and a Louisiana State University scientist who was widely cited on levee failures after Hurricane Katrina. He filed suit against LSU, alleging he was fired for criticizing the Army Corps of Engineers. Van Heerden claims LSU officials were afraid of losing federal grants and contracts because of his outspokenness. The suit alleges wrongful termination and seeks unspecified damages. LSU officials said van Heerden was not qualified to speak as an expert on the wide range of issues he commented on in interviews with media outlets and groups after Katrina. AP

Loving El Niño

“I love El Niño in the winter. … You can expect regular precipitation that will keep fire danger low.”

—Texas Forest Service spokesman Mark Stanford said rain and snow across the state would keep vegetation and grasses wet through winter. The threat of wildfires across Texas is low and will remain so as long as the weather pattern persists. El Niño is characterized by unusually warm temperatures in the equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean. The weather pattern, which began last fall, is expected to remain through May, according to the National Weather Service. It follows a nearly two-year drought that cost an estimated $3.6 billion in crop and livestock losses in Texas, the nation’s No. 2 agriculture state. AP

No Super Claims

“We reviewed data from the last 10 Super Bowls and found there are very few accidents – no more than any other time.”

—Cheryl Downey, senior vice president at Willis who is in charge of the broker’s National Pizza Program, explaining to Insurance Journal that despite an increase in pizza deliveries during the Super Bowl, there is no unusual claims activity.

Topics Texas Agribusiness