By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – Officials have released the names of two men killed when a natural gas pipeline exploded near the Texas-Oklahoma line.
Lipscomb County Sheriff James Robertson said Wednesday 32-year-old Steven Douglas Odell and 44-year-old Johnnie Mike Renner died when a bulldozer hit a pipeline near Darrouzett in the Panhandle on Tuesday. Both men are from Pampa.
One person was hospitalized after the blast, but Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City refused to disclose a condition Wednesday. Two others were treated at the scene.
The bulldozer crew was working for an oil services company when it hit the line Tuesday afternoon. The natural gas explosion was the second in as many days in Texas; another exploded after being struck in Cleburne, south of Dallas, on Monday. One person was killed in that blast.
Fort Worth principal fired after May arrest
A Fort Worth principal has been fired a month after her arrest on a public intoxication charge after she allegedly left her two preschool-age children alone at a Dallas hotel. School trustees on Tuesday night voted to fire Carla Westbrook-Spaniel of Arlington. She had been principal of Elder Middle School for nearly four years.
Superintendent Melody Johnson declined comment on the dismissal, describing it as a personnel issue. Assistant Principal James Garcia will assume the duties of Westbrooke-Spaniel, who was arrested May 8.
Dallas police say the woman, whose children are ages 3 and 4, scuffled with a bouncer and officers when she was denied entry into a nightclub. Police later charged Westbrook-Spaniel with two counts of child endangerment.
Memorial in Killeen for Fort Hood shooting victims
The Killeen City Council has approved plans for a Fort Hood Memorial to victims of the 2009 deadly shooting rampage at the central Texas post.
The memorial, approved Tuesday night, is planned near the Killeen Civic and Conference Center. The city will search for an engineer and architect for a granite and limestone pavilion.
The Army psychiatrist accused in the Nov. 5 shootings, Maj. Nidal Hasan, is held on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.
SPJST president Brian Vanicek on Wednesday told The Associated Press that his benevolent group will spearhead the project, seeking donations from the public and private groups. He had no cost estimate.
Temple-based SPJST was founded in 1897 by Czechoslovakian pioneers.
About 1,000 help celebrate Perot's 80th birthday
About 1,000 business leaders, celebrities and other friends helped Dallas billionaire Ross Perot, who failed in two independent bids for president, celebrate his 80th birthday early.
The surprise party was held Tuesday at Dell Services headquarters in Plano. Perot's birthday is June 27.
Perot Systems Corp. in 2009 was sold to Dell Inc.
Dell founder Michael Dell offered best wishes via video.
A newsreel featured Perot as president of his class at the U.S. Naval Academy, shaking hands with President Dwight Eisenhower.
A video clip of actor Dana Carvey, who has done impersonations of Perot, included the comedian praising the Texan as "an American original."
Perot's Reform Party campaign in 1992 was followed by a 1996 bid for the White House.