By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – A weather official says the degree of exceptional drought in Texas is the worst in the 11 years forecasters have tracked the data.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday shows more than a fourth of the state, 25.96 percent, is now in the most severe drought category. Exceptional drought means extraordinary and widespread crop and pasture losses, and shortages of water in reservoirs.
Victor Murphy of the National Weather Service says the percentage is the highest since January 2000, when the map debuted.
Above-normal temperatures and below-average rainfall from a La Nina weather pattern have been compounded by unusually strong winds in recent months.
The tinder-dry conditions have spawned thousands of wildfires that since November have killed two firefighters, scorched about 2.3 million acres and destroyed about 400 homes.
Police ID victims in fatal Dallas market shooting
Police have released the names of the two clerks killed in the robbery of a southern Dallas convenience store and identified the man accused of shooting them and wounding the owner.
Police say Eid Faltaous and Salah Zardeh were fatally shot Wednesday after a 46-year-old man entered the store and told the owner he was owed money.
When the owner, Magdi Abrahim, refused, the man pulled out a gun and opened fire.
Abrahim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds.
Dallas County sheriff's spokeswoman Kim Leach says Waad Habib was being held in the Dallas County Jail on capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges.
His bond is $2 million.
Electronic court records say Habib is a self-employed electrician. An attorney for him was not yet listed.
Obama set for Texas visit on Tuesday
The White House says President Barack Obama will make Texas stops in El Paso and Austin on Tuesday.
A news release from the White House on Thursday offered no details on Obama's trip, but a fundraising email sent to potential donors said he was scheduled to attend a fundraiser in Austin.
The White House says Obama will return to Washington the same day.
Obama visited Fort Bliss in El Paso last August to mark the end of combat operations in Iraq.
Wife: Bush skips 9/11 NY event to keep low profile
Former first lady Laura Bush says her husband's decision not to appear at ground zero with President Barack Obama after the death of Osama bin Laden is consistent with his desire to stay out of politics and the public eye.
Laura Bush told The Associated Press on Thursday that former President George W. Bush "thinks that's for President Obama to do at this point."
Speaking at a Dallas elementary school after announcing grants from her foundation for school libraries, Laura Bush said she and her husband were out to dinner when they received word that Obama wanted to speak with him. She said he went home to take the call.
Laura Bush says they both felt great pride for military and intelligence services after hearing the news.
Laura Bush announces library grants
Appearing at a Dallas elementary school, former first lady Laura Bush announced more than $1 million in grants that her foundation will be giving to school libraries to buy books.
Bush is herself a former public school teacher and librarian. She said Thursday morning that the Laura W. Bush Foundation for America's Libraries is giving grants to 241 schools across the U.S. this year.
Her foundation was established in 2002 to help provide books to the nation's school libraries. So far, the foundation has donated $14.1 million, including $5.7 million to school libraries in the Gulf Coast to help them rebuild libraries after hurricanes.
Laura Bush and former President George W. Bush moved to Dallas after he left office in 2009.