Texas / South Central News

Repairs to Baton Rouge Library Under Construction to Cost $2M

After concerns over stability halted construction of a Baton Rouge, La., library back in April, a new report estimates it will cost almost another $2 million to steady the building. Construction on the River Center Branch Library was halted after …

As Hurricane Season Picks Up, LSU-Based Call Center Ready to Combat Disaster Fraud

Hurricane Florence is the first major hurricane of the 2018 season, and with Gordon now a tropical depression dumping several inches of rain on the Southeast, it’s safe to say hurricane season is in full gear. Forecasters are predicting three …

Springdale to Install Protected Lanes for Bicyclists

Jonathan Perrodin recently rode his bicycle west along West Maple Avenue in Springdale, Arkansas. A driver in a large pickup honked from the parking lot as Perrodin rode by Northwest Medical Center. “He didn’t pass me until we crossed 71 …

First Female Division Chief for Oklahoma Storm Lab

Women in research meteorology have long been in the minority, said Pamela Heinselman, a supervisory and research meteorologist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Heinselman is chief of Forecast Research and Development Division and manager of the Warn-on-Forecast Program. She …

Tropical Storm Gordon Forecast to Strike Gulf Coast as a Hurricane

New Orleans is on edge and some offshore energy workers have been evacuated as Tropical Storm Gordon heads for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast. It’s expected to become a hurricane Tuesday, and threatens to spread flooding rains into the …

Houston Eyes Designer Bonds to Pay for $15 Billion Hurricane Ike Dike

A massive dike to hold back storm-driven floods surging in from the Gulf of Mexico was first proposed after Hurricane Ike devastated the Houston-area coast a decade ago. Last year’s Hurricane Harvey disaster brought fresh enthusiasm for the languishing project …

Houston Marks Harvey Anniversary With Flood Control Vote

Voters in Houston and its surrounding county were marking Saturday’s anniversary of Hurricane Harvey coming ashore by deciding whether to approve the issuance of $2.5 billion in bonds to fund flood control projects that might mitigate the damage caused by …

FBI Focuses on Plethora of River-Related Cyber Threats

Giant cranes loading and unloading gargantuan barges. Oil tankers, supply vessels and pipelines serving a vital energy industry. Flood control structures. Chemical plants. Cruise ships. Drinking water sources. All computer-reliant and tied in some way to the internet. All of …

Lexus Seat Defect Results in Jury Award of $242M Against Toyota

A Texas jury on Friday hit Toyota with a $242 million verdict after finding that defects in the front seats of a 2002 Lexus ES300 caused serious injuries to a Dallas family’s two young children during a rear-end collision in …

Cancer-Stricken Texas Firefighters Often Denied Workers’ Comp

Many Texas cities are denying workers’ compensation to firefighters with cancer, according to union leaders and state lawmakers. Over the past six years, more than 90 percent of the 117 workers compensation claims filed by Texas firefighters with cancer have …

Texas / South Central News Archives by Month