By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX –
Christmas Eve winter storm travel delays hit Texas and prompted Gov. Rick Perry to activate emergency resources.
The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Minnesota. Perry on Thursday afternoon activated some military personnel and high profile vehicles, as a precaution, to assist motorists. Perry cited blizzard conditions on stretches of Highway 84.
Fort Worth-based American Airlines offered travelers the chance to change their weather-affected flights with no penalty.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines advised travelers to be aware of possible delays or cancellations, especially in storm-swept areas such as Minneapolis, Kansas City and Omaha, Neb.
An advisory Thursday for Houston's Hobby Airport cited weather affecting traffic bound for the Dallas area, with delays topping two hours.
Texas to audit state's food stamp program
Texas will audit the state's beleaguered food stamp program in an effort to improve accuracy and efficiency in processing applications.
Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs requested the audit in an effort to "fix our system so that it works for everyone."
State Auditor John Keel on Wednesday said the review will include an examination of food stamp operations in other parts of the country in an effort to improve the Texas system.
Federal law requires that applicants be processed within 30 days. More than 40 percent of the Texas applicants are not processed within the monthlong period.
Keel offered no time frame for the audit.
HHS spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman says the department in recent months added 674 employees this fall to help process applications.
Texan gets back wedding ring lost in Wales
A Texan whose wedding band flew off as he grabbed his wind-blown hat while atop a castle tower in Wales has the ring back.
Carl Mondy of Odessa on Thursday said he is happy to have the ring in time for his 35th anniversary on Jan. 4. The 56-year-old is on overseas assignment for Industrial Scientific Corp. of Pittsburgh, Pa., but was spending Christmas at home in Texas.
Mondy said he lost the ring in September while he and his wife toured the Caernarfon Castle. Mondy left his contact information at the castle. The couple planned to buy a replacement band when they were contacted in late November to say another castle visitor found the ring. A co-worker in the United Kingdom helped retrieve the ring.