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Around Texas 

1. A committee finds a decayed and broken utility pole caused the largest wildfire in Texas history

A decayed utility pole that broke, causing power wires to fall on dry grass in the Texas Panhandle, sparked the state’s largest wildfire in history, a Texas House committee confirmed Wednesday. 

Other poorly maintained power equipment sparked four additional fires across the region earlier this year, the committee said.

The committee also found that a lack of readily available air support, ineffective communication from faulty equipment and coordination among agencies inhibited on-the-ground efforts to contain the Smokehouse Creek fire and others that ravaged the Panhandle earlier this year.

2. Sexual assault charges against Dak Prescott dropped

According to ESPN, detectives determined there was insufficient evidence over sexual assault charges against Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

The charges stemmed from an alleged incident in 2017 when a woman claimed that Dak Prescott assaulted her in the trunk of a car in the parking lot of the bar where she worked.

Prescott’s attorneys filed an extortion lawsuit in Collin County in March. Prescott denied the woman’s allegation.

3. The first wrongful-death trial in Travis Scott concert deaths has been delayed

The start of the first civil trial stemming from the 2021 Astroworld festival, at which 10 people were killed in a crowd surge, has been delayed.

Jury selection had been set to begin next Tuesday in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old Houston resident who was killed during the crowd crush at the Nov. 5, 2021, concert by rap superstar Travis Scott.

Travis Scott performs at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston, Nov. 5, 2021. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
Around the Nation

1. At least 2,000 people arrested at pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. campuses, AP tally shows

2. Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens must remain jailed, court says

3. 'Order must prevail': Biden denounces violence at campus Gaza protests

Don't Miss This

Deep in the Heart of Texas  

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, left, stands on the mound with catcher Jonah Heim as they wait on head athletic trainer Matt Lucero during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Eovaldi left the game with an unknown injury. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Rangers shut out Nationals 6-0. Eovaldi leaves start with groin injury

Nathan Eovaldi pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings before leaving with groin tightness and Ezequiel Duran’s two-out double was the first of three consecutive RBI hits in the second inning and the Texas Rangers beat the Washington Nationals 6-0 on Thursday.