By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – A federal review indicates Texas needs more safeguards to avoid fraud and abuse by people seeking subsidized child care benefits.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office, said undercover investigators were used to test fraud controls in Texas, Illinois, Michigan, New York and Washington. The states do not require relative caregivers to be fingerprinted or visited before billing the government.
Ann Hatchitt with the Texas Workforce Commission says the agency plans to use an electronic system with controls to prevent overbilling. Parents will use an electronic swipe card, much like a debit card.
Texas this year distributed nearly $700 million in federal subsidies so low-income families could place their 115,000 children in care, allowing parents to work or be retrained.
Gas prices hold steady in Texas, drop nationally
The average price of gasoline in Texas is holding steady at $2.57 this week.
The weekly AAA Texas price survey released Thursday said the national average dropped 2 cents to $2.71, keeping the Texas average significantly below the national mark.
The agency said a major pipeline closure disrupted the flow of Canadian crude oil to the Midwest last week, but oil prices stabilized on news that the pipeline might restart.
The cheapest average price in Texas is San Antonio at $2.52. The most expensive gas is in Amarillo at $2.69.
State Fair of Texas opens in Dallas
Get ready for some fun -- the State Fair of Texas has opened today in Dallas.
It's the largest state fair in the nation -- with nonstop performers, more than 70 amusement rides, about 200 food booth and dozens of food and merchandise vendors.
Last year, Oprah Winfrey broadcast her talk show from the Lone Star State's fair while the winning food concoction - deep fried butter - fueled the opening monologues of David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien.
But the national exposure didn't translate into record-breaking crowds.
Officials blamed it on the weather: It rained on 14 of the fair's 24-day run.
Soon after hitting a 3.5 million attendance mark in 1999, the State Fair of Texas stopped taking attendance. Instead, fair authorities track how much they bring in from the 50-cent coupons used on the carnival rides and at food booths.
The State Fair of Texas runs through Oct. 17.
Cannon made in Mexico believed used at Alamo
Experts say a cannon believed used at the Alamo could be another link to the Texas Revolution's 175th anniversary next year.
The San Antonio Express-News reported Friday that researchers say the cannon, which arrived at the historic mission last week, was thought to have been cast in Mexico in the 1700s and used by the Texan army during the 1836 battle.
Parts of the cannon, like others seized and disabled by Mexican troops after the fight, are broken off. Alamo historian Bruce Winders says the item has the same damage as other cannons.
The Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground is the organization that owns the cannon. President Jan DeVault says the San Jacinto group plans to keep the cannon "on permanent loan" at the Alamo, as long as it's kept indoors and safe from visitors.