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February 9, 2010


Who's torching East Texas churches? And why?

12:13 PM Tue, Feb 09, 2010 |  | 
Brooks Egerton/Reporter    Bio |  E-mail  |  News tips

ChurchFire.jpgTwo more East Texas churches burned down Monday night.

Authorities aren't saying yet whether the fires are part of the string of several arsons plaguing Tyler and surrounding areas. But don't be surprised if they're connected -- these last two blazes broke out within 45 minutes of each other, just a few miles apart.

The first was reported about 8:45 p.m. at Dover Baptist Church (right). The second was reported about 9:20 p.m. at Clear Spring Missionary Baptist Church.

Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was activating a national response team after Russell Memorial United Methodist Church in Wills Point was torched.

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Hot Links: New safety probe of Southwest Airlines

10:27 AM Tue, Feb 09, 2010 |  | 
Brooks Egerton/Reporter    Bio |  E-mail  |  News tips

SouthwestAirlinesHole.jpgLet's add this up and see how safe we feel about a certain Dallas-based airline -- and the government employees who are supposed to oversee it.

The latest: Federal regulators suspect Southwest Airlines, for several years, flew dozens of jets whose fuselage repairs didn't follow approved procedures.

Previously:
1) A football-sized hole (right) opened up the fuselage of a Southwest plane last summer, forcing an emergency landing.
2) Also last year, the Federal Aviation Administration found that a Southwest maintenance contractor used unapproved parts.
3) Southwest was fined in 2008 for flying six jets with fuselage cracks.
4) A cozy relationship between regulators and the airline repeatedly let Southwest avoid punishment for safety violations, a 2008 federal watchdog investigation found.

I'll stop for now. If you need more scary stories right away, go to dallasnews.com and type these terms into the search box: Dave Michaels (investigative reporter in our Washington bureau) and Southwest Airlines.

Southwest says safety is its top priority.

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The entry "Hot Links: New safety probe of Southwest Airlines " is tagged: cracks , Dave Michaels , FAA , Federal Aviation Administration , fuselage , maintenance , regulators , repairs , safety , Southwest Airlines


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