Natural Gas News Blog @newzblogz.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska- Long hours are the norm at the Prudhoe Bay oil field, but veteran workers for field operator BP PLC said a labor shortage has made conditions ripe for fatigue-related accidents similar to one that killed 15 employees in the company's Texas plant in 2005.

The dearth of highly skilled technicians at well pads and oil collection centers coincided with an uptick in construction and pipeline inspections following two spills at Prudhoe Bay last year.

The company has failed to fill about a dozen vacancies for highly skilled technicians, despite repeated requests from its union since September, said Kris Dye, president of United Steelworkers 4959.

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* Exhibit: "C?sar Ch?vez and the Struggle for Farmworker Rights" can be seen during regular library hours through March 31 at the UTEP Library, second floor. Open to the public. 747-6725.

* Film presentation: "Legacy of Shame: Migrant Labor, An American Institution" at 5 p.m. today at the UTEP Union Cinema, Union East, first floor. Commentary about the film by Ignacio Ibarra, project coordinator, El Centro de los Trabajadores Agr?colas Fronterizos, after film presentation. Open to the public. 747-5462.

* 'Doing Social Justice Work In El Paso': A guided tour of community agencies will take place from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. today. Seating is limited to 20 people. Sponsored by the Student Development Center, UTEP. 747-5670.

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Re: Larry Smilgius? ?Don?t be soft-hearted? letter.

It is appropriate that the Riviera Golf Estate association?s ?ruling authority? should enforce the rules established for the ?health, safety and benefit of the majority.?

But, how does Paul Smith?s hobby of making dominoes infringe on anyone?s health, safety or benefit?

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In late January or early February, someone pruned my large rosemary plant without my permission. More than two-thirds of the plant was removed! This plant was growing in a brick planter in front of Day Dreamers Bead Store at Kings Boulevard and Buchanan Avenue. I planted the garden and take care of it for the store.Last fall, I pruned all the other plants in front of the store. I didn’t cut back the rosemary because one of the wonderful employees at the store asked me not to cut it yet. Sh...

If someone wanted some rosemary or had a problem with the plant, he or she could have talked to someone in the store about it. They are open seven days a week. It was mean and rude to assault a plant that doesn’t belong to you. It’s probably also against the law.Perpetrator, you should be ashamed of yourself. Please show more respect for other people’s property.Jean Reiher, CorvallisBurn ban blessing in disguise for farmersRegarding the March 14 letter, “Medical groups s...

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Some of the state's most powerful lobbyists pounced today on a legislative proposal to enshrine an oil-drilling ban in the Florida Constitution.

''This is just an academic exercise to make people feel good about this issue,'' said Associated Industries of Florida President Barney Bishop. ''This is a superfluous bill.''

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Dougal Haines? home has an eco-friendly look and a southwest feel...photo by Joseph Duerrmeyer

...while Jack Addison?s place gives no outward sign of its off-the-grid status. photo by Joseph Duerrmeyer

Creating an energy efficient home

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The Texas economy has begun feeling the effects of the troubled market for new housing and is likely to see its job market weaken this year, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said in an economic update for March.

Economists for the bank said slower-than-expected job growth in the second half of 2006 forced them to cut the year's job growth figure by half a point to 2.7 percent. And with the state's labor market remaining tight, the Dallas Fed forecast that Texas employment totals this year will grow slower than last year, ending with a gain of 1.7 percent to 2 percent.

"With the current mix of strengths and weaknesses, it looks like the regional economy may be downshifting to a more moderate and sustainable rate of growth," the report said.

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ASHINGTON, March 20 — For all its efforts to apply economic and political pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, the United States has never used a potentially potent tool in its arsenal — penalties on foreign companies that assist Iran in producing oil and natural gas.That may be about to change. The Bush administration has quietly been warning energy companies, including Shell, Repsol and SKS, the Malaysian oil company, as well as the governments of China, India, Pakistan and...

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ASPEN The Hotel Jerome's owners said theyve had enough with Aspens jungle of red tape and are selling the landmark in one to two months.

The hotel was originally to get a restoration. Construction was to last eight months. Instead, the Jerome, which was built in 1889, will close April 2 to May 25.

The hotel's owners, the Gaylord family of Oklahoma, had grown tired of the city's approval process, which began shortly after they bought the hotel for $33.7 million in June 2005.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska- Long hours are the norm at the Prudhoe Bay oil field, but veteran workers for field operator BP PLC said a labor shortage has made conditions ripe for fatigue-related accidents similar to one that killed 15 employees in the company's Texas plant in 2005.

The dearth of highly skilled technicians at well pads and oil collection centers coincided with an uptick in construction and pipeline inspections following two spills at Prudhoe Bay last year.

The company has failed to fill about a dozen vacancies for highly skilled technicians, despite repeated requests from its union since September, said Kris Dye, president of United Steelworkers 4959.

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NEW LONDON — It was like a war zone without the war.

The aftermath of the March 18, 1937, London School explosion left about 300 students and teachers dead and dozens more injured. John Davidson, volunteer at the London Museum on Texas 42 in New London, said hundreds of oil field workers and other volunteers descended upon the scene attempting to rescue survivors of the natural gas explosion and remove the bodies.

Click the image above for an audio slideshow in the survivors own words.

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Exelon Nuclear Receives Early Site Permit for Clinton Location

First early site permit ever issued

CLINTON /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Exelon Nuclear today at a signing ceremony held at the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions office in Rockville, Md., received an Early Site Permit from the NRC, the first permit of its kind in the industry.

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Tax Tips: Get forms, news, and celebs vs. the IRS!

Click here for market insight from TheStreet.com

The Street.com

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Southwest Gas Corp. has 950,000 customers in the state, including 575,000 in the Valley.

Natural gas fuels 27 percent of Arizona Public Service's total electric generation and about 14 percent of Salt River Project's.

Four Western states, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho, have no underground natural-gas storage facilities.

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SINGAPORE - Oil prices climbed in Asian trading Wednesday amid expectations that the weekly U.S. oil inventory snapshot will show a drop in domestic supplies of gasoline and distillates such as heating oil.

Gasoline prices have risen lately as traders anticipated an increase in gasoline demand in the approaching U.S. summer driving season, coupled with low stocks amid refinery outages in the United States, the world's largest oil consumer.

"Even though the official start is still two months away, (gasoline) prices hit a seven-month high (Monday). Gasoline inventories have fallen about 6 percent since early February, and are expected to fall further," said John Kilduff of Fimat USA, in an overnight note to clients.

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ATLANTA, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. today issued the following statement in response to the Chicago Board of Trade's announcement that it has postponed the special meetings of CBOT stockholders and members.

"We are pleased that the CBOT Board has concluded it is best to take more time to properly evaluate the ICE offer," said Jeffrey C. Sprecher, Chairman and CEO of ICE.

Based on today's closing prices, the ICE proposal is valued at $184.44 per CBOT share, over 15% or approximately $1.3 billion more than the Chicago Mercantile Exchange proposal, which is valued at $160.05 per CBOT share.

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Hockey fans aren't the only ones who are going to benefit from a new arena in Pittsburgh.

A bigger and better facility could improve the atmosphere and prospects for major concerts, benefitting the fans, the acts and the promoters who book shows in the venue.

When a new arena is built, "there's a honeymoon period that usually lasts a year or two, for two reasons," says Rich Engler, the former president and CEO of DiCesare-Engler Productions, the main concert promoter in Western Pennsylvania. The company was bought out by SFX Entertainment, which became Clear Channel, then Live Nation.

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SINGAPORE ? Oil prices climbed in Asian trading Wednesday amid expectations that the weekly U.S. oil inventory snapshot will show a drop in domestic supplies of gasoline and distillates such as heating oil.

Gasoline prices have risen lately as traders anticipated an increase in gasoline demand in the approaching U.S. summer driving season, coupled with low stocks amid refinery outages in the United States, the world's largest oil consumer.

"Even though the official start is still two months away, (gasoline) prices hit a seven-month high (Monday). Gasoline inventories have fallen about 6 percent since early February, and are expected to fall further," said John Kilduff of Fimat USA, in an overnight note to clients.

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A devastating fire sparked by multiple explosions destroyed the unfinished, four-story Landmark Square senior living center in downtown Sheboygan early Monday, injuring two firefighters and forcing 139 residents of a nearby nursing home to evacuate.

The massive fire lit up the early-morning sky and destroyed the $13.25 million, 73-unit building under construction. Fire Chief Jay Lastusky said the fire evacuation was the largest in the city's history.

"It was by far the most significant fire loss in Sheboygan in quite some time," Lastusky said.

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Two fires broke out on the same street destroying two homes... just an hour apart.

Investigators say the coincidence looks suspicious.

The first fire happened on the 200 block of Garfield in Elkhart.

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Stocks closed near their best levels of the session Tuesday afternoon as a good report on the housing sector helped the market follow through on the previous session's gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 62 points, or 0.5%, to 12,288, and the S&P 500 rose 9 points, or 0.6%, to 1411. The Nasdaq Composite added 13.8 points, or 0.6%, at 2408.

Before trading got under way, the government said U.S. housing starts jumped 9% in February to 1.525 million annualized units, retracing some of January's 14% drop. Building permits eased 2.5% last month.

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WASHINGTON For all its efforts to apply economic and political pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, the United States has never used a potentially potent tool in its arsenal penalties on foreign companies that assist Iran in producing oil and natural gas.

That may be about to change. The Bush administration has quietly been warning energy companies, including Shell, Repsol and SKS, the Malaysian oil company, as well as the governments of China, India, Pakistan and Malaysia, that penalties are possible if they pursue energy deals with Iran.

As a result, several huge projects planned for Iran could be vulnerable.

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* Exhibit: C?sar Ch?vez and the Struggle for Farmworker Rights can be seen during regular library hours through March 31 at the UTEP Library, second floor. Open to the public. 747-6725.

* Film presentation: "Legacy of Shame: Migrant Labor, An American Institution" at 5 p.m. today at the UTEP Union Cinema, Union East, first floor. Commentary about the film by Ignacio Ibarra, project coordinator, El Centro de los Trabajadores Agr?colas Fronterizos, after film presentation. Open to the public. 747-5462.

* 'Doing Social Justice Work In El Paso': A guided tour of community agencies will be from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Seating is limited to 20 people. Sponsored by the Student Development Center, UTEP. 747-5670.

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The state Utilities and Transportation Commission must immediately release oil and natural gas pipeline mapping information to several of the state?s newspapers, a judge ruled Friday, saying the information was not exempt from the state?s public disclosure law.

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks issued the 20-page written ruling shortly after a one-hour hearing.

Shelley Hall, the lawyer for the newspapers, applauded the decision.

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The recent tiff between Iran and Russia over the Bushehr nuclear power plant illustrates the world's dilemma over nuclear power.

Russia has delayed construction work at the plant, saying Iran is in arrears in paying for it. Iran denies that. More importantly, it says that this demonstrates Russia's unreliability and thus the need for Iran to control its own nuclear fuel cycle by enriching uranium.

The West, of course, believes that Iran also wants to enrich uranium to make nuclear bombs.

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Ameren Illinois President and CEO Scott Cisel is scheduled to present to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) Tuesday on the company's plans following Moody's downgrade March 12 of the firm and its utility subsidiaries to one notch below investment grade.

The ICC is scheduled to meet Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at the commission's office in Springfield, Ill.

Following Moody's downgrade, the ICC sent a letter March 14 addressed to Cisel. In the letter, published on ICC's Web site, the ICC stated that it is "very concerned that many of these actions will preclude Ameren from maintaining the safe and reliable service required by statute."

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Claire's Stores says yes to offerMIAMI Claire's Stores agreed to a $3.1 billion takeover proposal from New York-based private equity firm Apollo Management, the costume jewelry retailer said Tuesday.

Claire's, which operates 3,000 stores under the names Claire's and Icing by Claire's, sells low-cost costume jewelry and accessories primarily to tweens, teens and young adults.

Bonnie and Marla Schaefer, Claire's co-chairwomen and chief executives, issued a joint statement saying the Apollo offer is "in the best interests of our shareholders."

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20,376 Minnesota customers who signed up for Xcel Energy's Windsource program got a mixed message in their latest bills.

When does a price cut look like a price increase?When it's on an Xcel Energy bill.Xcel has sent letters to 20,376 Minnesota customers who signed up for its Windsource program, trying to explain changes in bills that went out in February and this month that have provoked confusion and anger."It seems like people have been asking a lot of simple questions and not really getting any satisfactory answers," said Elizabeth Dickenson, a St. Paul resident and Windsource participant for more than two ...

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska Veteran workers for field management company B-P P-L-C are exhausted from too much overtime and are concerned about the potential for fatigue-related accidents.That's according to a union leader for workers at Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska.The president of United Steelworkers 4959 also says the company has failed to fill about a dozen empty positions for highly skilled technicians, despite repeated requests from the union since September.B-P officials said at least nine new t...

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NEW YORK Oil and natural gas driller Hercules Offshore says it will buy its larger rival Todco for 2-poiint-4 (b) billion dollars.That would create the world's fourth-largest fleet of shallow-water oil rigs. It would mean a single company would own more than 30 percent of all jackups in the U.S. Gulf, which is seen by some as a market in decline.Todco stockholders would receive 0.979 share of Hercules and $16 for each share they own. Based on closing prices Friday, the deal values Todco shares a...

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Wall Street started the week in an upbeat mood Monday as a new round of proposed private-equity buyouts and corporate mergers drove stocks higher.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 115.76 points, or 0.96%, to 12,226.17, and the S&P 500 rose 15.11 points, or 1.09%, at 1402.06. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 21.75 points, or 0.92%, at 2394.41.

Roughly 2.80 billion shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange. Advancers beat decliners by a 3-to-1 margin. Volume on the Nasdaq reached 1.70 billion shares, with winners outpacing losers 2 to 1.

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SINGAPORE — Oil prices regained ground to hover around $57 a barrel Tuesday as traders responded to a drop the day before and looked for market drivers.

Light, sweet crude for April delivery rose 35 cents to $56.94 a barrel in midmorning Asian electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The April contract, which expires Tuesday, fell 52 cents the previous day amid expectations of rising crude stocks.

"Prices have really kicked up today but with light volume and no real drivers," said Tobin Gorey, a commodity strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney.

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Oil prices slipped below $57 a barrel Monday, reflecting continued worries over the U.S. and global economies following an equities selloff last week.

A decision by oil ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to maintain present production targets also appeared to contribute to the downward trend.

"There are concerns that the global equities selloff may not be over and that may impact economic growth and thus oil demand," said Victor Shum of Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. "These concerns and worries about the state of the U.S. economy have taken some momentum out of the oil market."

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Troubled Legacy

Saturday, March 17, 2007 11:47 PM PDT

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      Utah's residential electricity prices rank among the 10 lowest in the nation, according to a new report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Deseret Morning News graphic

      In 2006, the average retail price of electricity in Utah was 7.61 cents per kilowatt-hour, up from 7.52 cents per kwh in 2005. Just seven other states in 2006 had average residential electricity prices lower than Utah's, according to the report.

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* FREE -- Andy Schneider: Guitarist Andy Schneider will perform from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at Cactus Caf? & Bookshop, 7500 N Mesa, Suite 107. 833-2233 or www.cactuscafeandbookshop.

* Crash Kennedy: Crash Kennedy will play at 9 p.m. Wednesday at Uncle Paulie's, 106 Shadow Mountain, free; 9 p.m. Thursday at Chic's Bar & Billiards, 9809 Montana, $3; and at 10 p.m. Friday at Zeppelin's, 111 E. Robinson, $5. 21 and older. 867-2023.

* FREE -- Jazz guitar: Tim Kilpatrick will perform from 8 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Cactus Caf? & Bookshop, 7500 N Mesa, Suite 107. No cover. 833-2233 or www.cactuscafeandbookshop.

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Sometimes the most dangerous course of action is doing nothing.If we do nothing, then global climate changes already making their mark on our weather, glaciers and air quality will harm our environment in irrevocable and dire ways.Washington is especially vulnerable to climate change because of our dependence on snow pack for summer stream flows and because any rise in sea levels would threaten our many coastal communities.If greenhouse gas emissions continue unchecked, temperatures will rise by...

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Opposing viewpoint

Saturday, March 17, 2007 11:46 PM PDT

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Claiming that the release of detailed information on oil and gas pipelines could aid terrorists or troublemakers, pipeline companies in Washington are appealing a judge's order that they disclose specifics about their potentially explosive lines.

Meanwhile, the companies are asking the Legislature to change the Washington Public Records Act to allow the information to be kept secret -- while claiming in court that the law already shields the records from disclosure.

The pipeline companies' renewed efforts to keep the information secret followed a ruling Friday by Judge Richard Hicks in Thurston County Superior Court on their efforts to block disclosure.

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A proposed power plant in northwestern Nacogdoches County that could ensure jobs across the region recently received its final permit from the state, and construction could begin as early as June.The wood-fired power plant in Sacul would be the first of its kind in Texas, according to Tony Callendrello, vice president of Nacogdoches Power, and would provide alternative energy to retail electric providers that sell to homeowners.

Constructing the facility, which would also generate power using natural gas, could cost $500 to $600 million and take 30 months, Callendrello said. Once finished, it would provide 35 permanent jobs.

“This has been a long-term project, but it will be the most capital-intensive project this county has ever seen,” said Judy McDonald, president of the Nacogdoches Economic Development Corporation, which encourages commerce in the county.The project began in 2000 as a natural-gas-fired power plant. BayCorp Holdings Ltd., a New Hampshire company, formed Nacogdoches Power LLC in 2004 to build another plant, which would use logs, wood chips and wood waste to generate electricity. The plan...

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VIENNA, Austria  Oil prices slipped below $57 a barrel today, reflecting continued worries over the U.S. and global economies following an equities selloff last week.

A decision by oil ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to maintain present production targets also appeared to contribute to the downward trend.

"There are concerns that the global equities selloff may not be over and that may impact economic growth and thus oil demand," said Victor Shum of Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. "These concerns and worries about the state of the U.S. economy have taken some momentum out of the oil market."

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Everything old is new again. It's the 59th Annual Spring Home and Garden Festival and festival-goers may be in for a surprise when seeking the latest in landscape trends. Expert green thumbs say when it comes to your garden, it's time to get back to the basics.

Cameron Paige with Utah Sprinkler and Landscape said, "The comeback of style. People are putting a lot more money and a lot more effort into their landscapes, and they want to get back to nature." To help you get back to nature, the experts say go for the four elements.

First, you can add wind by using wind chimes. Then, add a little fire with backyard natural gas fire pits. Not only do you save a trip to the mountains, they say fire pits are cheaper and more functional than ever before. But when obeying Zen philosophy, we can't forget about balance. Here's where we introduce fire's number one enemy.

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Battle lines are up in the burgeoning Great Streams War in West Virginia, pitting industrial moguls against the Department of Environmental Protection.

Watching from the sidelines, but no less interested, is Trout Unlimited.

At stake is a legal question: Can the DEP assign 309 streams, covering some 1,000 miles in 27 counties, to its top-ranking Tier 2.5 list of protected waterways without permission from the Legislature?

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SINGAPORE - Oil prices edged higher amid gains in major Asian financial markets Monday but remained near six-week lows on continued worries over the U.S. and global economy following a global equities sell-off last week.

"There are concerns that the global equities sell-off may not be over and that may impact economic growth and thus oil demand," said Victor Shum of Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. "These concerns and worries about the state of the U.S. economy have taken some momentum out of the oil market."

Light, sweet crude for April delivery rose 14 cents to $57.25 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange midmorning in Singapore.

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SINGAPORE ? Oil prices edged higher amid gains in major Asian financial markets Monday but remained near six-week lows on continued worries over the U.S. and global economy following a global equities sell-off last week.

"There are concerns that the global equities sell-off may not be over and that may impact economic growth and thus oil demand," said Victor Shum of Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. "These concerns and worries about the state of the U.S. economy have taken some momentum out of the oil market."

Light, sweet crude for April delivery rose 14 cents to $57.25 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange midmorning in Singapore.

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Dwindling production seen for Mexican oil monopoly

01:47 PM CDT on Sunday, March 18, 2007

Bloomberg News

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In response to Michael A. Lucas, who wrote Thursday to complain about the Star-Telegram’s focus on Texas Christian University (“Real news, please”): I’m amused by those who feel that Fort Worth’s main newspaper ought not focus on Fort Worth’s main university.

If there’s anything the Star-Telegram ought to cover, it’s TCU! I hope the newspaper will look into the terrific little school that calls Fort Worth home — its fine music, education, engineering and business colleges; its outstanding and undertrumpeted faculty; its resurgent football program; its outstanding heritage in Fort Worth and the Southwest.

TCU is one of the institutions that makes Fort Worth different from other places. There’s no reason for Fort Worth’s paper to root for anyone other than its home team.

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Smith County will be in full compliance with new state mandates on court collections, county commissioners will learn on Monday.

Court Collections Director Scott Cothran says the new rules are meant to standardize and streamline efforts to collect the fines and fees imposed in sentencing. He'll make a report to commissioners Monday morning.

"The 79th Legislature enacted some legislation saying counties over 50,000 population must adopt some private-sector collections practices," Cothran explains. "That's things like setting up payment plans and monitoring people for compliance."

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Reliable, affordable energy is at the heart of economic development worldwide. The Energy Information Administration estimates that between now and 2030, the world will increase its use of energy by more than 70 percent. This staggering demand amplifies the need for investment in new supplies.

The scale of investment is enormous. Through 2030, oil and gas supply development alone will require $6 trillion to meet energy demand projections. Gas production will account for about half of that spending. Of course, increasing supplies is not as easy as simply throwing dollars at new construction.

This article is for Paid Print Subscribers ONLY.

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"Only five minutes remained before dismissal time when the explosion came which brought such havoc as to shock the entire nation."

Old news reports bring March 18th, 1937 back to life.

Some 300 students and faculty members died after a natural gas leak caused the New London School to explode.

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* FREE -- Andy Schneider: Guitarist Andy Schneider will perform from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at Cactus Caf? & Bookshop, 7500 N Mesa, Suite 107. 833-2233 or www.cactuscafeandbookshop.

* Crash Kennedy: Crash Kennedy will play at 9 p.m. Wednesday at Uncle Paulie's, 106 Shadow Mountain, free; 9 p.m. Thursday at Chic's Bar & Billiards, 9809 Montana, $3; and at 10 p.m. Friday at Zeppelin's, 111 E. Robinson, $5. 21 and older. 867-2023.

* FREE -- Jazz guitar: Tim Kilpatrick will perform from 8 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Cactus Caf? & Bookshop, 7500 N Mesa, Suite 107. No cover. 833-2233 or www.cactuscafeandbookshop.

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It's been 70 years since a deadly school explosion rocked the small East Texas town of New London, but those who walked out of the rubble say the memories of that day remain as raw as ever.

On Thursday, March 18, 1937, an unknown natural gas leak inched its way across the New London junior-senior high school's basement. Around 3 p.m., the gas mixture ignited.

From eyewitness accounts, the explosion disintegrated walls and flattened classrooms. The building was reduced to rubble. Inside the destruction, about 300 of the 700 teachers and students were killed.

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A move is under way that could mean cheaper natural gas for America and bigger profits for the petroleum industry.

It is called hard-rock drilling, a term that references the tough rock formations blocking access to many domestic petroleum reserves.