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Exide Plant Closing In Deal With Frisco

A battery recycling plant in Frisco will close by the end of the year after reaching a $45 million deal that could settle years of disputes over pollution and ground contamination.

Exide Technologies and Frisco city officials argued for months over how to cut emissions under new federal regulations before Thursday's announcement.

Exide spokeswoman Susan Jaramillo says the company was willing to fight the city, but considered Frisco's monetary offer fair. Citizen groups have been targeting the plant for closure.

The facility will cease operations by Dec. 31, resulting in 134 layoffs for a company that was the city's largest employer before explosive growth in the past decade.

The company says Frisco operations will be absorbed by four other plants nationwide.

AP

Mansfield City Hall loses power in storms, closes

Thunderstorms that rolled through North Texas have left more than 33,000 homes and businesses without power and a city hall closed.

Electricity was lost Thursday at Mansfield City Hall, which shut down for the day. Mansfield, with a population topping 56,000, is located about 15 miles southeast of Fort Worth.

Crews with Dallas-based Oncor Electric worked to restore power. Officials say the bulk of the outages are in the Fort Worth area.

The utility also worked to restore electricity to customers in Waco, Killeen, Tyler and Sulphur Springs.

AP

Criticized $20M state grant to get second review

Leaders of a $3 billion cancer research initiative in Texas are taking a second look at an approved $20 million grant that raised questions about how closely the original proposal was scrutinized.

The Cancer Research and Prevention of Texas awarded the so-called incubator grant to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The state agency accepted M.D. Anderson's offer this week to have its original application go through review again.

Dr. Alfred Gilman, a Nobel laureate and the agency's chief science officer, criticized the original funding because there was never a review by a separate scientific panel. Gilman wrote his concerns in a letter of resignation earlier this month.

CPRIT gave no indication in accepting the re-review that its scientific panel will be involved this time, either.

AP

Gas prices slip 7 cents this week across Texas

Retail gasoline prices in Texas have continued their tumble by slipping 7 cents this week.

AAA Texas on Thursday reported the average price at the pump is $3.44 per gallon. The nationwide price for gasoline declined 6 cents, to settle at $3.62 per gallon.

The association survey found that Amarillo has the least expensive gasoline, at $3.35 a gallon. The state's most expensive gasoline was found in El Paso, at an average $3.62 per gallon.

AAA says the decline in gasoline prices continues as global crude oil prices drop amid economic concerns overseas and a strengthening U.S. dollar.

AP

Trailer found, NASA telescope delivered in Texas

A trailer that went missing while hauling a NASA-funded telescope from Minnesota has reached its destination in East Texas.

Copeland Trucking says the trailer and undamaged telescope arrived Thursday at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility near Palestine. That's about 80 miles southeast of Dallas.

The trailer was to have been delivered Monday. Copeland used GPS to help track the missing rig.

Police in Hutchins, about 10 miles south of Dallas, say the cab and the driver were located Wednesday morning at a truck stop. The trailer and cargo were found Wednesday night in Dallas.

Copeland fired the driver Wednesday and other workers delivered the cargo. CSBF manager Danny Ball says all equipment was accounted for during an inventory of the trailer.

Police have launched an auto theft investigation.

AP