KRGV.com

DALLAS (AP) The U.S. Geological Survey says a minor earthquake measuring a preliminary 3.4 magnitude has rattled an area west of Dallas, Texas. A geophysicist at the USGS Colorado center told The Associated Press late last night that the quake was just strong enough to have been felt for about 15 or 20 miles around the epicenter in Irving.

PHARR, Texas (AP) Thieves in two South Texas cities have been taking something unusual: storm drain covers. Pharr has had 35 inlet and storm drain covers stolen over the past week. In nearby Brownsville, officials have reported 62 missing inlet covers and one manhole cover. The covers have been replaced quickly, but officials say the thefts represent a potential danger to drivers.

WACO, Texas (AP) Several businesses in the Central Texas town of Waco (WAY'-koh) are dealing with a smelly problem that won't go away: decaying cricket carcasses. A bank, a drugstore and other businesses have been inundated with the odorous onslaught of dead crickets that have been trapped inside walls and have collected on sidewalks.

DALLAS (AP) The manager of the state's electric grid says it's considering paying a Dallas-based energy company to continue running two coal-fired power units the firm had recently indicated it would be shutting down. The Dallas Morning News reports the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is studying whether it needs the two units at the Monticello plant in East Texas to stay on in order to keep power lines running properly.