By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – An effort to require Texas students to learn about congressional Medal of Honor recipients turned into an emotional debate about race for the State Board of Education.
The board, in the second day of a three-day meeting Thursday, ultimately rejected the effort to list the names of two Hispanic and one black medal recipients in a world history class. But they agreed to revisit the amendment in an American history class. The board is updating social studies curriculum standards that will be in place for Texas students for the next decade.
Board member Mary Helen Berlanga said while race relations in the U.S. have progressed significantly, Hispanics "are still going through discrimination if we can't even put two names as recipients of the Medal of Honor."
$400,000 To Fort Worth From EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $400,000 to Fort Worth. The funds will help identify and inventory Brownfields properties, assess the sites, and tell the public of its efforts.
Brownfields are properties with known or perceived contaminants that hold redevelopment potential, if they can get cleaned up.
Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief calls Fort Worth Brownfields "the next growth centers in the city." And he added that the EPA partnership can help revitalize neighborhoods through economic development.
Half the $400,000 will pay for petroleum assessments. The other half will will be spent on hazardous substances evaluations.
Texas gas prices up 3rd straight week
Retail gasoline prices are up across Texas for a third week in a row.
The weekly AAA Texas survey released Thursday shows regular unleaded rose an average of 8 cents at Texas pumps to $2.65 per gallon. Nationally, the average price rose 7 cents to $2.78 per gallon.
Season price increases are a factor in the increase as refineries switch to summer fuel blends and speculators consider the usual summer increase of driving. But the auto club also cites a slightly stronger economy and a soft dollar for strengthening crude oil prices.
The least expensive gasoline in Texas is in Houston, where the retail prices average $2.60 per gallon - up 9 cents from last week. The most expensive gasoline is, as usual, in El Paso at $2.72 per gallon - up 4 cents from last week.