By Bill Zeeble & BJ Austin, KERA News & Wire Services
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-984356.mp3
Dallas, TX – Dozens of homes are reported threatened as wildfires rage in North Texas.
Texas Forest Service spokesman Tom Berglund says it was unclear whether any evacuations had been ordered. However, he said a task force of ground and aerial firefighting forces were being brought to bear on the fire near the Wise County town of Paradise. That's about 35 miles northwest of Fort Worth near Lake Bridgeport.
Berglund said the fire had already scorched about 100 acres by late Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, crews continued to fight day-old fires near Possum Kingdom Lake, west of Fort Worth. The fire has now burned 39 homes and 6200 acres in Palo Pinto County, according to the Texas Forest Service.
Carrie Smith, with the service, says local departments and state fire fighters are still battling the blaze, along with choppers, planes, dozers and engines.
Smith: It's so hot and this afternoon conditions worsened as the winds picked up. And the fire became a wind-driven fire for a while.
Smith says firefighters have been pulled from the fire's front line, it's so dangerous. That's when retardants are dropped from the air.
Elsewhere, Smith says a dirt line is being established to kill the fire's advance. That's the hope anyway, says Smith.
Government suing to block AT&T-T-Mobile merger
Justice Department officials say they've filed suit to block AT&T's $39 billion deal to buy T-Mobile USA.
The government contends that the acquisition of the No. 4 wireless carrier in the country by No. 2 AT&T would reduce competition and raise prices.
At a news conference Wednesday, Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the combination would result in tens of millions of consumers facing higher prices, fewer choices and lower quality products.
Cole says the lawsuit seeks to ensure that everyone can continue to receive the benefits of competition.
Sonograms still to be required prior to abortions
A new law aimed at reducing the number of abortions in Texas is set to go into effect this fall, even though some of the toughest provisions of the measure will likely be tied up in litigation for months.
The state is appealing a judge's ruling Tuesday that it's unconstitutional to require doctors to display an ultrasound image of the fetus or embryo, make the heartbeat audible and describe its organs and size to a woman before performing an abortion.
While the issue is tangled up in court, women still must undergo a sonogram a day before an abortion.
The appeal could take a year.
Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed the law in May, saying it would save countless lives. About 81,000 abortions are performed every year in Texas.
State Fair Fried Food Contest Finalists
The State Fair of Texas "fried food finalists" for 2011 are out.
Sue Gooding with the Fair says the hot item this year may be "fried bubblegum".
Gooding: People are going to ask, how in the world do you fry bubblegum? You'll swear it's bubblegum, but it's really a bubblegum flavored marshmallow dipped in batter and fried to perfection.
And topped with a swirl of icing and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Other finalists include: Deep Fried Texas Salsa and Buffalo Chicken in a Flapjack.
The top two "Big Tex Choice Award" winners will be announced Labor Day.
The 2011 State Fair of Texas opens September 30th.
Deadly Dallas Bank Robbery
A bank security guard is dead, and a suspect under arrest after the robbery of a Bank of America on South Lancaster Road this morning.
Dallas Police say security guard, 55 year old Lionel Newell confronted the suspect. The two got into a struggle. The suspect grabbed Newell's gun and shot him.
Police say the suspect tried to commandeer a car in the parking lot of a nearby church, but was captured before he could make a getaway.
Investigators say the man will be charged with capital murder.
Police say DFW airline worker stole from baggage
An airline employee at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has been arrested and charged with stealing jewelry from passengers' baggage.
Airport police say Jose Alberto Peralta was arrested last week after a fellow employee told airline security that he had seen Peralta take items from bags.
Police say Peralta had about $230 worth of stolen women's jewelry and sunglasses in his backpack. Officers say records indicate that in the past year he pawned 93 pieces of jewelry for $10,320.
Peralta says he brought the items from the Dominican Republic to sell for higher prices in the U.S. He is a Dominican citizen. Records didn't indicate whether he had an attorney.
Shooting feral hogs by air among new Texas laws
Want to catch a catfish by hand or shoot a feral hog from a helicopter? Want to keep driving the daytime speed limit after the sun goes down?
You can do so legally in Texas starting Thursday, when about 700 new state laws take effect.
Those are about half the bills passed by state lawmakers in Austin during the regular legislative session and a 30-day special session. Some have already become laws, and others will take effect by the first of 2012.
Drivers in Texas will no longer have to slow down to 65 mph at night on most highways but can keep driving the daytime speed limit of 70 mph. The Texas Department of Transportation says the old signs are to be removed by year's end.
A&M AD Byrne talks LHN in blog post
Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne is speaking out after his school's decision to leave the Big 12.
In a blog posted Wednesday, Byrne says the departures of Nebraska and Colorado and the creation of the Longhorn Network at rival Texas made the Big 12 "considerably different" than it was last summer -- when he said the Aggies should remain in the league.
The blog was posted a few hours after Texas A&M told the Big 12 it plans to leave the league by July 2012 if it is accepted by another conference. The Aggies have expressed interest in joining the Southeastern Conference.
Byrne says other developments "have caused a great deal of uncertainty within the Big 12," and says the "landscape" of the league "was altered by the creation of the Longhorn Network."
He mentions the network's attempts to televise high school games and the "attempt to coerce Big 12 schools to move their football games in Austin" to the network. Byrne also says that Texas A&M was not offered the chance to join the Longhorns in the venture.