By Bill Zeeble, KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – Officials say there's an increase in fire activity because of wind and falling humidity levels, but they still feel like they've turned a corner in battling the devastating Bastrop fire.
The numbers of acres and homes affected by the fire remained the same Thursday afternoon -- 1,400 homes destroyed with about 45 square miles of land blackened by the fire. About 5,000 residents have been forced from their homes.
Bastrop County Sheriff Terry Pickering says crews are making progress even as winds and dry air sustain the fires. Smoldering hotspots are keeping firefighters on the move.
Officials say they'll meet with crews overnight to discuss plans for using a huge aircraft that would drop fire retardant over the blaze.
Texas has hottest June-August on record
Weather officials say Texas just finished the hottest June through August on record in the U.S.
National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy told The Associated Press Thursday that Texas' 86.8 degree average beat out Oklahoma's 85.2 degrees in 1934.
That Dust Bowl year is now third on the list for the three-month span, behind No. 2 Oklahoma's heat wave this June through August (86.5 degrees).
Both states and others in the nation's southern tier have baked in triple-digit heat this summer. Texas had its hottest June on record, the fifth warmest month overall, and July was the warmest month ever. Oklahoma's July was the country's highest monthly average temperature ever, 89.1 degrees.
Louisiana's heat this June through August puts it in the fourth spot all-time - 84.5 degrees.
Gas Prices Rise in Texas
The average price of a gallon of unleaded gas in Texas is $3.48. That's a penny more than last week, according to AAA Texas.
Still, that's lower than the national average of $3.65 for a gallon of unleaded.
Sarah Schimmer, with AAA Texas, says prices aren't changing much week to week and here's why.
Schimmer: Pressure from the market price, a weaker economy, is pressuring market prices for crude oil down. However, the active hurricane season is pressuring retail prices up slightly. So what we're seeing here in Texas is that prices are reacting by basically maintaining. We've only seen about a penny or two increase or decrease week to week in the past couple of weeks.
Schimmer says a gallon of unleaded in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is about $3.45. That's a two cent hike per gallon over last week.
Tribute to firefighters canceled due to wildfires
A weekend tribute to Texas firefighters has been canceled because the honorees are busy battling wildfires.
A spokeswoman with the Texas Wildfire Relief Fund says the group's ceremony, scheduled for Sunday on the steps of the Texas Capitol, has been canceled.
Kelsey Coleman told The Associated Press that the people being honored, volunteer firefighters, are working to put out wildfires.
The nonprofit Texas Wildfire Relief Fund has been working to raise money for volunteer firefighters whose resources have been drained during the wildfire season.
The Texas Forest Service says wildfires since November have burned at least 3.5 million acres, including destroying nearly 1,400 homes this week in Bastrop County.
American accuses Sabre of boycott against airline
American Airlines has escalated its legal fight with a leading ticket-reservations system by accusing Sabre Holdings Corporation of organizing a boycott of American by travel agents.
The airline said in a court filing that Sabre is punishing American for its effort to distribute more tickets directly to travel agents.
Sabre denied the charges and said American is using the courts to extract a better distribution contract from Sabre.
Sabre, which was once part of American but is now owned by private buyout firms, provides information about flights and fares to travel agencies. American wants to reduce ticket-distribution costs by providing the information directly to travel agents, cutting out middlemen like Sabre in many cases.
Last month, Sabre agreed to keep listing American flights on its service until the legal dispute is settled.
Ga. LG, Ag commissioner back Perry for president
Lieutenant Gov. Casey Cagle has endorsed Rick Perry for president, becoming the Texas governor's highest-profile Georgia supporter.
State Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black also threw his support behind Perry on Thursday.
The Georgia Republicans cited what they said was Perry's proven record of job creation and his strong performance in Wednesday's Republican presidential debate.
Perry is vying for the Republican nomination in a crowded field jockeying to take on President Barack Obama.
Grand jury clears Texas officer in fatal shooting
A grand jury has declined to indict a North Texas police officer who fatally shot a motorist in front of his children after the man sped away from a traffic stop with the officer's arm trapped in his window.
Tarrant County District Attorney Joe Shannon said the decision Thursday came after two days of testimony. Shannon says Fort Worth police Officer J. Romer won't face criminal charges over the February shooting.
Authorities say 32-year-old Charal Thomas had previous drug convictions and was under surveillance before the traffic stop. Police say he refused to get out of the car and locked the SUV's doors, prompting Romer to reach through a partially open window.
The death sparked protests from minority groups in the predominantly black neighborhood where Thomas was shot.