By BJ Austin, KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – The Texas attorney general has filed a lawsuit accusing a gas station company of diluting medium- and premium-grade fuel with regular unleaded.
The lawsuit filed Thursday by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott against Petroleum Wholesale L.P. and a related defendant says they falsified octane levels, defrauded customers and violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
The lawsuit is the third enforcement action by the state against the company, which did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press.
The defendants operate Sunmart Travel Centers & Convenience Stores and about 80 other service stations licensed by the state to sell fuel under branding agreements with three major fuel companies.
Shop TAX FREE This Weekend
This is the annual Texas Sales Tax Holiday Weekend. Today through Sunday school supplies, backpacks, clothes and shoes under 100 dollars are tax exempt.
According to the Texas comptroller, shoppers will save about 62 million dollars in taxes, an increase over last year.
Retailers say they consider Tax Free Weekend a forecaster of consumer spending during the upcoming holiday season.
Gas Prices Down a Nickel
Gasoline prices across Texas are down five cents from last week.
The weekly Triple-A Weekend Gas Watch puts the statewide average at $3.48 a gallon.
Dallas-Fort Worth, Beaumont and Texarkana have the cheapest gas at an average $3.45.
The statewide average is 11 cents less than it was a month ago.
Garland Police Focus On Drunk Driving
Friday, Garland Police start a double' DWI enforcement campaign.
Specialized patrols will be on the streets from August 19th through September 6th for "Back to School" and "Labor Day" drunk driving patrols.
A grant from TxDOT targets DWI along with Driving Under the Influence by Minors.
So far this year, Garland Police have recorded more than 240 DWI or DUI Minor arrests.
Guilty Pleas in Mortgage Scam
A Dallas-Fort Worth homebuilder faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a mortgage fraud scheme. 51 year old Robert Keaffaber of Granbury entered the plea in federal court today.
Investigators say Keaffaber, owner of Sycamore Custom Homes, ran a conspiracy to inflate mortgage loans, skim the excess amount and use part of it to pay kickbacks to others involved in the conspiracy.
Ten people pleaded guilty before Keaffaber, and five more are awaiting trial.
Keaffaber has also been ordered to pay victims of the scheme more than 200 thousand dollars in restitution.
Texas, ESPN say UT network won't hurt Big 12
Officials at Texas and ESPN say they're not concerned about the effect the new Longhorn Network might have on the Big 12 Conference.
Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds on Thursday said other schools in time will learn to "get past somebody having a network" and embrace their own opportunities. He singled out Kansas State announcing plans this week to launch its own sports network online.
Texas A&M has expressed concerns about the Longhorn Network, and this week said it was looking at a move to the Southeastern Conference. A&M president Bowen Loftin says no decision has been made about whether to leave the Big 12.