By BJ Austin, KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has defended its decision refusing to provide more assistance to Texas after devastating wildfires.
Gov. Rick Perry late Tuesday criticized the White House for rejecting his April 16 request for a federal major disaster declaration and additional help.
FEMA spokeswoman Rachel Racusen on Wednesday said federal assistance already has been provided to Texas through grants for response activities. She says, based on information provided by the state, there was not a need for additional support at this time.
Perry's request came before deadly tornadoes swept across Alabama.
The governor says Texas wildfires since November have blackened at least 2.2 million acres. Two firefighters died in separate incidents in April.
More than 200 Texas counties have outdoor burn bans.
Dallas Settles Ambulance Fee Lawsuit
The Dallas City Council has voted to spend nearly two-and-a-half million dollars to settle a lawsuit over allegations of fraudulent billing for ambulance services today.
A former city auditor found the fire department and its private billing vendor routinely over-charged Medicare and Medicaid for an "advanced" level of care that was not always provided.
City officials admit no wrongdoing in the settlement.
City attorneys recommended the settlement. They say it avoids prolonged and expensive litigation, and the possibility the city could he held liable for a lot more than the settlement amount.
The lawsuit estimated the city could owe as much as 40 million.
BP building 4th wind farm in Texas
Texas is getting another wind farm. BP Wind Energy on Wednesday announced construction has begun on its 90-turbine Trinity Hills wind farm in Archer and Young counties. The site is about 90 miles northwest of Fort Worth, near Olney.
BP Wind Energy says the complex will have a generating capacity of 225 megawatts, producing enough electricity to support more than 65,000 homes.
Two of BP's wind farms became operational in 2008. The third is expected to be in commercial operation by the end of 2011.
Dallas Ethics Code In City Hall Spotlight
Wednesday, Dallas Council members hold a "public" discussion about changes to the city's ethics code passed last month after a "private" session with city attorneys.
The changes reduced restrictions on campaign contributions by employees of companies currently doing business with the city.
It's become an issue in the Mayor's race. Dallas Mayor Dwaine Caraway, in an unusual move, ordered the public briefing.
Bush declines Obama invitation to ground zero
A spokesman for George W. Bush says the former president has declined an invitation from President Barack Obama to attend an observance at New York's ground zero.
Obama plans to visit the site of the destroyed World Trade Center towers Thursday in the aftermath of a Navy SEALs raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The al-Qaida attack, which killed about 3,000 people, occurred in the early months of Bush's presidency in 2001.
The spokesman, David Sherzer, says the former president appreciated the offer to attend but has chosen to remain out of the spotlight during his post-presidency.
Sherzer says Bush celebrates bin Laden's death as an "important victory in the war on terror."
Leading A&M alums urge resistance to Perry reforms
Twenty-two "Distinguished Alumni" of Texas A&M are urging school leaders to join their University of Texas System counterparts in resisting higher education proposals advocated by Gov. Rick Perry.
Perry, who's an A&M graduate, has embraced proposals of Austin businessman and campaign supporter Jeff Sandefer that include linking faculty tenure to student evaluations and separating research work from teaching.
Also, the head of the UT System regents has suggested increasing undergraduate enrollment by 10 percent during each of four years and cutting tuition by half.
In an April 7 memo titled "Draft Notes and Ideas for Discussion," regents Chairman Gene Powell proposes building enrollment by an unstated percentage at the UT System's eight other universities.