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NOMAAN MERCHANT,Associated Press
WEST, Texas (AP) — A tiny Texas town rocked by tragedy took a major step toward normalcy Monday as hundreds of students went back to school days after a fertilizer plant explosion leveled homes and killed at least 14 people.
Washington, Apr 18 (EFE).- An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas, near Waco, may have killed between five and 15 people, and wounded at least 179 others, a police spokesman said Thursday.
Between three and five firefighters are missing, Waco police spokesman Patrick Swanton told U.S. media outlets.
The blast at the West Fertilizer Plant in West, located about 20 kilometers (some 12 miles) north of Waco, occurred around 8:00 p.m. Wednesday and was heard up to 70 kilometers (43 miles) away, officials said.
The explosion leveled nearby houses and registered as a magnitude-2.1 seismic event on the U.S. Geological Survey's seismographs.
The blast occurred about 30 minutes after the fire department was notified that a blaze had started at the fertilizer plant, the police spokesman said.
About five or six blocks in the town were affected by the blast, with buildings sustaining extensive damage and officials concerned about residents' exposure to toxic fumes, West Mayor Tommy Muska said.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, is assisting in the investigation of the blast, which occurred during a week that started with the explosion of two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. EFE
Austin, TX
As the last day of session, also called 'Sine Die,' looms, the legislators are scrambling to get their bills passed out of committee and Representative Poncho Nevárez is no different. With his HB 1351, relating the authority of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) when it comes to eliminating low-producing certification or degree programs, becoming a hot topic this session, many legislators believe that this issue needs to be addressed. Last week, Senate Committee Chair on Higher Education Senator Kel Seliger used Representative Nevárez's HB 1351 language to amend SB 215 that relates to the functions of the THECB. The Senator used the HB 1351 language as an amendment on the floor of the Senate that removed the authority of the THECB to eliminate low-producing programs leaving that power to the institution's Board of Regents. It was passed unanimously. "I am honored to work with Chairman Seliger to make sure that this issue is fully addressed and I look forward to help pass this bill in the House," Nevárez states. Representative Nevárez has also joined forces with Representative Naomi Gonzalez from El Paso regarding bills they both have relating to residence homestead property taxes. Representative Gonzalez has filed HB 1597, relating to installment agreements for the payment of delinquent residence homestead taxes, which is germane to Nevárez's bill relating to fighting for veterans' rights to make installment payments on residence homestead taxes. As both Representatives have related bills, they have decided to collaborate and work together to ensure that both of these pieces of legislation move forward through the House. "I am working hard to make sure the constituents of District 74 are fully supported," Nevárez adds. "I am honored that my colleagues support my ideas because it helps not only my constituents, but theirs as well. However, there is always more work to be done."