5 years ago April 18, 2019: A Houston man was killed and another man was seriously injured when a dump truck possibly had a blowout and struck a flatbed truck before hitting the median, overturning and catching fire. All lanes of the Interstate were shut down.

AUSTIN— Colorado State University researchers are calling this year’s hurricane season forecast “the most aggressive” ever, the Texas Standard reported. They say there is a 54% chance a hurricane will strike the Texas coast, and a 25% chance it will be major.

April 13, 1964 OLE TIME FIDDLER’S CONTEST-- will feature many contestants like the ones pictured here. The contest will be part of the Vidor Odd Fellows Lodge-sponsored Political Rally, and “This Is Your Life” program to be held Saturday, April 25, in the high school auditorium at 6 p.m.

Learning his commander- in-chief had decided to stand and fight, an insubordinate captain rejoined the Texas Army on Apr. 17, 1836 in time for the Battle of San Jacinto.

5 years ago April 11, 2019: Lorrie Taylor was named as the Executive Director of the Orange County Navigation and Port District this week by the Port’s Board of Commissioners. Before going to work at the Port of Orange as its Director of Administration and Finance, Ms.

AUSTIN— State agencies and regulators were heavily criticized at a Texas legislative hearing for failing to communicate during the deadly Panhandle wildfires, the Texas Tribune reported. The three-day hearing, held in Pampa, investigated the Smokehouse Creek fire and others that burned more than a million acres, destroyed hundreds of homes, killed up to 10,000 cattle and resulted in two deaths.

April 13, 1964 SMU Coach Hayden Fry was the featured speaker at the Vidor Athletic Booster Club’s Athletic Awards and Appreciation Dinner held April 18, 1964 at the Pine Forest Elementary Cafeteria. Fry was All-State Quarterback of the 1946 Texas State Champion football team from Odessa.

The only F5 tornado ever to touch down in the northernmost part of the Lone Star State tore through the Texas Panhandle on Apr. 9, 1947 leaving death and destruction in its 100-mile-long wake.

For the first time since 1878, Texans will see their first total solar eclipse next month. Total solar eclipses are rare because the sun, the moon, and the Earth must align such that the moon moves in between the sun and the Earth. Only people who are within the path of totality will be able to see the full effects of the eclipse. The path of totality encompasses a large swath of Texas including the DFW metroplex, Tyler, Austin and the Hill Country, and Del Rio. The eclipse will happen on April 8.

Dear Rusty: I just saw an article which said that certain spousal options were going away, but there are still good options for when a spouse can claim. I am filing for my Social Security to start in October when I turn 70. My wife’s full retirement age (FRA) is in December, and she now plans to file then for half of what my FRA benefit would have been (our original plan was for both to file in August). My wife’s main reason for delaying until her FRA is to lock her into my maximum benefit if she has to someday change to Survivor’s Benefit. Will this be gone for us? Neither of us was born before January 1, 1954. Please advise. Signed: Planning for Both Dear Planning: I expect that the article you refer to was speaking of the option to claim only a spousal benefit first and allow one’s personal SS retirement benefit to grow. That option was available only to those who were born before 1954 and had reached full retirement age. As you now know that option is not available to you.