Ike Hits Fuel Production, May Cause Shortages

Prices jump 5 cents nationwide as Gulf shuts down nearly 100% oil production

(NEWSER) - Gas prices have shot up an average of 5 cents nationwide in the wake of Hurricane Ike, which has shut down almost 100% of oil and natural gas production in the Gulf Coast region. Gas prices in the Gulf area have risen as high as $5 per gallon, and an expert warns that many Americans may see the return of $4 gas, reports the Washington Post. More»

But fracking companies love the tiny particles

(NEWSER) - The upper Midwest is home to the latest craze in American mining: sand. Mining companies are knocking on doors in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and nearby states to dig up tons of the stuff so oil and gas producers can inject it into the ground in a process known as fracking. Sand mines are creating jobs across the region, but residents leery of the environmental impact are starting to push back, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Officials in the coastal Texas town of Galveston are baffled by a series of arson fires targeting palm trees, the Houston Chronicle reports. “This is strange,” the town’s fire marshal says of the spree, which has hit 30 trees since May. “It’s the first case in my experience dealing with a tree arsonist.” More»

Houston expects surge in births 9 months after storm cut power

(NEWSER) - A Houston hospital is bracing for a baby boom due 9 months after Hurricane Ike cut power to the region for days, the Chronicle reports. “There’s about a 25% increase in the number of deliveries coming up in mid-June to mid-July,” said one doctor. Another physician is herself expecting. “You can only do so much when there’s no television, nothing open, and there’s nowhere to go,” she said. More»

Bush and Clinton, having raised $1.5M, see more need in devastated Texas

(NEWSER) - Former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton called today for more money to aid Texas communities devastated by Hurricane Ike, the Houston Chronicle reports. The pair, who toured the Galveston area, has raised $1.5 million for their Bush-Clinton Coastal Recovery Fund. The money will be used to augment state and local efforts once reconstruction begins. More»