News of note: Drought worsens, and those insurance people are at it again!

From the Austin American-Statesman, July 16: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/gen/ap/TX_Texas_Drought.html

LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas continues to grow ever drier, and new data show the state has the most land in the worst stage of drought in nearly a decade.

The U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday shows about 18 percent of the state to be in exceptional drought, up from just more than 14 percent last week.

Central and South Texas are hardest hit and are the only regions in the U.S. in extreme and exceptional drought. Ovenlike temperatures and no appreciable rain are the culprits.

Records on the drought monitor Web site show Texas hasn't had this much land in exceptional drought since at least January 2000. The previous high was in late August 2006, when about 16 percent was in the worst dryness stage.

From the Houston Chronicle, July 15: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6530381.html

An alert Texan, JC Dufresne, comments in an email: "State Farm to raise homeowners insurance rates up to 20%. After rate hike announcements by Allstate and Farmers in the last month, State Farm has completed the rate hike trifecta. Inaction by the state legislature on insurance reform has clearly emboldened insurance carriers."