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Here is the list of enterprise stories in Texas for the week of March 24. If you have questions, please call Texas News Editor James Beltran at 972-991-2100 or, in Texas, 800-442-7189. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477.
— ADDS Kids-High Cholesterol
— ADDS Texas Economy-Analysis
FOR IMMEDIATE USE:
TEXAS BAY-OIL SPILL
HOUSTON — A century ago, the Houston Ship Channel was nothing more than a bayou meandering into the Gulf of Mexico. Today, massive ocean-going vessels carrying thousands of containers zip in and out of the channel, where a barge collided with a ship over the weekend, spilling 170,000 gallons of gooey tar-like oil into the water. Though the cause of Saturday's crash is still under investigation, the increase in ship congestion highlights the need for more maintenance, dredging, high-tech navigation systems and other improvements to ensure safe travel through the narrow waterway. Add to this a domestic oil boom, exports of liquid natural gas, the expected expansion of the Panama Canal and the whiff of possible trade relations with Cuba and the growth takes on broad economic and safety implications. By Ramit Plushnick-Masti. SENT: 880 words, photos, video on Wednesday.
KIDS-HIGH CHOLESTEROL
There's fresh evidence that a lot of young people could be headed for heart trouble. A large study of preteens in Texas found that about one-third of them had borderline or high cholesterol when tested during routine physical exams. The results seem to support recent guidelines that call for every child to have a cholesterol test between 9 and 11 — the ages of the 13,000 youths in this study. Many doctors and adults have balked at screening all children that young, but researchers say studies like this may convince them it's worthwhile. By Marilynn Marchione. SENT: 520 words on Friday.
HEALTH OVERHAUL-HISPANICS
WASHINGTON — The nation's largest minority group risks being left behind by President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Hispanics account for about one-third of the nation's uninsured, but they seem to be staying on the on the sidelines as the White House races to meet a goal of 6 million sign-ups by March 31. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 900 words, photos on Monday.
UPCOMING:
TEXAS-MONARCH-BUTTERFLIES
HOUSTON — A half-century ago Monarch butterflies — tired, hungry and bursting to lay eggs — found plenty of nourishment as they migrated from Mexico through Texas. Native white-flowering balls of antelope milkweed covered grassland areas, growing alongside other nectar-filled flowers. But now, these orange-and-black winged butterflies find mostly buildings, manicured lawns and toxic, pesticide-filled plants after crossing the Rio Grande. Already hampered by disappearing habitat in Mexico, years of drought and almost no sustenance farther north in the Great Plains, the Monarch is getting help as a Texas state agency is preserving ecosystems and nonprofits are offering grants and rare plant seedlings to boost habitat. By Ramit Plushnick-Masti. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos, on Saturday.
TEXAS ECONOMY-ANALYSIS
AUSTIN, Texas — Oil and gas production is up, new construction is on the rise and unemployment is low. The Texas economy is strong with no trouble in sight. Texans of a certain age have seen this before, and they know what usually happens next. Bust. The question facing all Texans, then, is where might the next bust come from, and how can the state mitigate against it. By Chris Tomlinson. UPCOMING: 680 words on Sunday.
GOP ADVANTAGE
WASHINGTON - Even if Democrats recruit great candidates, raise gobs of money and run smart campaigns, they face an uphill fight to retake control of the House in this year's congressional elections. The reason? Republican strategists spent years developing a plan to take advantage of the 2010 Census, first by focusing on winning state legislatures and then by redrawing House districts to tilt the playing field in their favor. Their success has been unprecedented. By Stephen Ohlemacher. SENT: 1,680 words on March 25. Advance for print release Monday, March 31. Abridged version available. Photos, graphics.
With:
REDISTRICTING-TEXAS
AUSTIN, Texas — The fight in Texas over the once-a decade redrawing of election districts is a boon to lawyers with a court battle still raging four years after the 2010 census. Since the 1970s, litigation over redistricting has taken an average of about six of every 10 years. By Chris Tomlinson. UPCOMING: 630 words moved in advance for use in Monday's papers.
MEMBER EXCHANGES:
For Sunday:
EXCHANGE-TAX-FREE TOWN
VON ORMY, Texas — As motorists speed past this tiny community along Interstate 35, they might not realize they have just passed the "Freest Little City in Texas," as Mayor Art Martinez de Vara sometimes calls it. The mayor shies away from political labels. But there is a libertarian tinge to a "zero tax, zero fee" goal as the best way to bring economic development to this poor but proud city that incorporated on the southwest side of San Antonio just six years ago. "I don't consider myself a politician," he said. "I just don't like taxes and regulations." By Laylan Copelin, Austin American-Statesman. SENT IN ADVANCE: 1300 words, photos.
EXCHANGE-TEACHING SPECIAL ED
LUBBOCK, Texas — Special education teachers go to work every day expecting to be hit, punched and kicked. "It's part of our job description," said Kami Finger, executive director of special education for the Lubbock Independent School District. But Finger, a former teacher, said that she believes it's a gift — a calling that stays with special education teachers even on days when some feel like pulling their hair out, or they had a student try. By Natalie Gross, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. SENT IN ADVANCE: 1450 words, photos.
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EXCHANGE-AIR CONDITIONING PIONEERS
DALLAS — Bankers, butchers and bricklayers all faced the same summer misery in 1950s Dallas: sizzling car seats. Back then, "hot car" described just about every vehicle on the road because few had air conditioning — a situation unimaginable today. Most relied on "4-by-40" cooling — all four windows down at 40 mph, making cars feel like the inside of a dry cleaner's. But a small group of Dallas-area manufacturers and car dealers started changing that 60 years ago, the first significant steps toward today's Big Chill, where everything is air-conditioned, even Smart cars. By Terry Box, The Dallas Morning News. SENT IN ADVANCE: 870 words, photos. Not for online use in Dallas area.
EXCHANGE-BACKCOUNTRY OBSERVATORY
GATESVILLE, Texas — The stars at night are big and bright when seen from the Meyer Observatory in Coryell County deep in the heart of Texas. Except when it is cloudy, and visitors to the observatory at the Turner Research Station gazed at star images captured by astro-photographers of the Central Texas Astronomical Society. Spectacular as the colliding galaxies and supernovas in the photos may be, they are nothing like the real thing. About 25 visitors, ranging from preschoolers to retirees, turned out for the monthly open house under a sky hidden by a cloud layer. By Tim Orwig, Killeen Daily Herald. SENT IN ADVANCE: 490 words, photos.
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