http://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorTue, 07 Oct 2008 7:18:16 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/39182/texas-team-is-tops-thanks-to-pacific-isle.html?refid=rss_all_default"Freaks of nature," as one player put it, have helped propel a Texas football team to the nation's highest ranks. He was referring to the Trinity Trojans' high strain of Tonga blood. Three thousand of the Pacific Islanders reside in small-town Euless, and boost the high school team with their massive size—not to mention the tribal dance, or haka , that pumps them up before each kickoff.http://www.newser.com/story/39182/texas-team-is-tops-thanks-to-pacific-isle.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSun, 05 Oct 2008 14:44:02 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/38200/officials-texas-needs-40b-from-feds-for-ike-cleanup.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTexas officials told Congress today they might need up to $40 billion in aid to rebuild the state's hurricane-hit areas, the Houston Chronicle reports. The state's lieutenant governor sought at least $11.5 billion of aid and as many trailer homes as available to help the 770 communities damaged by Hurricane Ike. Houston's mayor requested an immediate $2.5 billion injection to help his metropolis.http://www.newser.com/story/38200/officials-texas-needs-40b-from-feds-for-ike-cleanup.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 23 Sep 2008 13:49:10 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37735/ike-pounded-fragile-ecosystems.html?refid=rss_all_defaultHurricane Ike caused massive damage to fragile coastal ecosystems already clobbered by development, the Dallas Morning News reports. Damage to wetlands vital to a vast range of life could take a generation to heal, scientists warn. As with Hurricane Katrina, human development had already destroyed marshes and other natural defenses, making the storm deadlier to people and wildlife.http://www.newser.com/story/37735/ike-pounded-fragile-ecosystems.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 18 Sep 2008 1:37:58 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37671/texas-makes-little-headway-in-recovery-from-ike.html?refid=rss_all_defaultHouston- and Galveston-area communities continued to struggle post-Hurricane Ike today, the AP reports. Divers cleared debris from navigation routes into Houston and looked for bodies along the coastline; most of the city remains without power for a fifth day. On Galveston Island and the nearby Bolivar Peninsula—which still lack gas, power, and running water—officials struggled to keep residents from returning to their homes.http://www.newser.com/story/37671/texas-makes-little-headway-in-recovery-from-ike.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 17 Sep 2008 11:37:41 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37364/ike-now-category-1-but-still-dangerous.html?refid=rss_all_defaultGalveston’s historic district is under 7 feet of water, and 4 million Houston area residents are without power after Hurricane Ike’s rampage through the region. Ike, which hit Galveston as a Category 2 hurricane, has since been downgraded to a Category 1, CNN reports. Officials warned that the storm will retain hurricane force through this afternoon.http://www.newser.com/story/37364/ike-now-category-1-but-still-dangerous.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 13 Sep 2008 9:49:05 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37335/its-too-late-to-flee-texas-officials-warn.html?refid=rss_all_defaultOfficials in Houston and Galveston warned residents to stay put tonight as Hurricane Ike threatened to become a Category 3 storm, CNN reports. “If someone has not left the island by now, they need to go get inside and stay there,” the mayor of Galveston said. Nearly a quarter million Texas residents have opted to stay despite warnings that Ike may be the worst storm to hit the state in 50 years, MSNBC reports.http://www.newser.com/story/37335/its-too-late-to-flee-texas-officials-warn.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 12 Sep 2008 20:06:35 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37259/ike-experts-warn-of-certain-death.html?refid=rss_all_defaultRefusing to evacuate could be the last mistake residents living in hurricane-vulnerable homes in coastal Texas ever make, the National Weather Service has warned. The dire warning of "certain death" facing some single-family home dwellers came as forecasters predicted a storm surge of up to 22 feet along Galveston Bay, CNN reports. Almost 1 million people have been ordered to evacuate.http://www.newser.com/story/37259/ike-experts-warn-of-certain-death.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 12 Sep 2008 3:17:38 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37240/ike-on-path-for-houston-1m-told-to-flee.html?refid=rss_all_defaultCars and trucks streamed inland and chemical companies buttoned up their plants today as a gigantic Hurricane Ike took aim at the heart of the US refining industry and threatened to send a wall of water crashing toward Houston. Nearly 1 million people along the Texas coast were ordered to evacuate ahead of the storm, which was expected to strike late tomorrow or Saturday.http://www.newser.com/story/37240/ike-on-path-for-houston-1m-told-to-flee.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 11 Sep 2008 20:10:38 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37223/ike-churns-closer-as-evacuations-continue.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAuthorities in the Houston area and along the southeast Texas Gulf Coast ordered hundreds of thousands to evacuate today as Hurricane Ike lumbered toward the coast and threatened to grow even stronger. Traffic was building on roadways leading away from low-lying areas in Galveston County, and officials urged residents to finish storm preparations quickly. Some gas stations were running out of fuel as residents scurried to leave.http://www.newser.com/story/37223/ike-churns-closer-as-evacuations-continue.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 11 Sep 2008 15:22:53 CDT