By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – Texas regulators are to decide whether they agree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's conclusion that a gas driller is responsible for contaminating water wells in North Texas.
he Texas Railroad Commission will vote Tuesday on whether to hold Range Resources of Fort Worth responsible for contaminating at least two water wells not far from where they drilled in the Barnett Shale formation and are producing natural gas.
The commission's examiners have issued an official opinion saying the company isn't to blame.
In December, the EPA issued an emergency order saying its investigation found Range Resources to be responsible and gave the company 48 hours to provide affected residents' with clean drinking water.
The commission's examiners say the EPA's tests were faulty.
Fall tuition going up at University of North Texas
Students at the University of North Texas will pay more this fall.
University of North Texas regents on Monday approved a 2.8 percent increase in tuition and fees, expected to generate $6.3 million.
The latest tuition hike at UNT, with spring enrollment topping 34,000, will join a 3.9 percent increase approved last year. A student taking 15 credit hours per semester will pay nearly $4,400 on average.
President V. Lane Rawlins says enrollment has increased 34 percent since 2000.
Texas lawmakers face a projected $15 billion budget shortfall for the next two-year period, which could impact funding for public education.
UNT regents also approved a $450,000 increase in the budget for a $79 million football stadium, scheduled to open this fall at the flagship Denton campus, for two additional entrances.
Texas business bill would help disabled veterans
A proposed Texas law would give businesses owned by disabled veterans a boost when it comes to winning state contracts.
Lawmakers are considering bills to designate service-disabled veteran-owned companies as historically underutilized businesses. So-called HUBs currently include minority- and women-owned businesses.
The Legislature requires state agencies to make a good faith effort to award a certain percentage of state contracts to HUBs.
The Austin American-Statesman reported, for its Tuesday editions, that since 2008 the state comptroller has awarded more than $6 billion under the program.
Jim Brennan, an Army veteran and president of AAUSA Electric Supply Inc., says Texas is woefully behind other states in recognizing and embracing service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.
Roy Mata, who's president of the Texas Association of Historically Underutilized Businesses, says his group supports including service-disabled veterans.
Threat of wildfires high in parts of West Texas
Experts say strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures have raised the threat of Texas wildfires.
The Texas Forest Service says "extremely critical" fire weather conditions were predicted Tuesday in western and northern parts of the state, including Lubbock, Childress, Abilene, Midland, Odessa and Amarillo.
The agency has staged bulldozers, fire engines and aircraft to respond to the potential threat.
The Texas Forest Service, in the past week, has responded to more than 70 fires burning about 2,300 acres.
Two-thirds of the state's 254 counties have burn bans.
Anti-bullying bills come before Senate committee
The Texas Senate is expected to take up several bills that aim to ban bullying in schools.
The Senate Committee on Education will hear testimony Tuesday morning on different versions of legislation that would prohibit bullying in any form, including cyber-bullying.
Fort Worth Democrat Sen. Wendy Davis filed a bill that would require school officials to go through training to identify signs of bullying and equip them to handle incidents.
Her bill would also require that the bully be transferred to a different class or school rather than the victim, as is current practice. She said requiring victims to change their lifestyle victimizes them twice.
Davis said anyone in a role responsible for the state's children--at the state or local level--should take steps to prevent bullying.
Fort Worth to vote on gay bar raid case settlement
Fort Worth is expected to pay nearly half a million dollars to a man severely injured in a raid on a gay bar two years ago.
The City Council is to vote Tuesday on the $400,000 settlement with Chad Gibson, who says he was the victim of excessive force by Fort Worth police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in the Rainbow Lounge raid.
The city says the settlement, if approved, wouldn't be an admission of the city's liability but would avoid time-consuming and costly litigation.
Two agents and a supervisor with the state's liquor board were later fired, and three Fort Worth police officers were suspended. Both agencies determined no excessive force was used.
Gibson also sued the state liquor board, which has said it's considering a settlement.
Dallas-area officer in drug sting pleads guilty
A Dallas-area police officer caught on surveillance video slipping a packet of drug money into his pocket has pleaded guilty to theft.
A federal judge in Dallas on Tuesday accepted the plea from 42-year-old former Mesquite police Sgt. John David McAllister.
McAllister was in charge of a narcotics unit and his duties included helping transport confiscated drugs and cash. The FBI in December received a tip about McAllister possibly stealing drug money and set up a March 1 undercover operation.
McAllister, who'd been with a Mesquite officer for 22 years, resigned after being arrested March 3.
He pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money. Sentencing is June 20. McAllister, who's free on a personal recognizance bond, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.