The U.S. Army temporarily halted all Apache helicopter training missions Friday after a fatal crash in Texas earlier this week killed two soldiers. The Army released the following statement Friday afternoon: The Army is profoundly saddened by the loss of two Soldiers in the recent AH64 Apache helicopter crash near Fort Hood, Texas. We mourn these aviators, and our deepest condolences remain with their families, friends, and unit during this extraordinarily difficult time. We also extend our sincere thanks for the immediate action taken by the first responders from the community surrounding Fort Hood. Army leaders directed a temporary stand-down of AH64 Apache training flight operations. The stand-down will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident. We currently have no additional information to share. The Apache attack helicopter had been a core part of Army aviation since the first one was delivered in 1984. More than 5,000 Apaches have been deployed by the U.S. military and its allies over the decades. The Army is investigating the crash that happened Tuesday outside of Salado, Texas, which is not far from Fort Hood. The Army said the stand-down will remain in effect…

Amid growing public backlash to the rapid buildout of data centers across Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced a moratorium on the approval of data centers until regulatory agencies can audit proposed data centers seeking connection to the state’s electric grid. It is unclear how long the audit will take, but the effort is Abbott’s strongest effort yet to slow the development of these data centers statewide and underscores how little information members of the public, including state leaders, know about the facilities. Abbott is asking the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to ensure data center developers provide information on tax breaks they will receive; power use and generation; water use and cooling operations; efforts to reduce impacts on local communities; and ownership of the facility. Any projects that fail Abbott’s ordered “comprehensive verification and audit” should be denied connection to the grid, the governor said. “Our top priority is to protect Texans’ safety and quality of life,” Abbott wrote in a statement. “Any project that fails to comply with the requirements set forth by the PUCT and ERCOT, and by state law, must be denied connection to the Texas grid. Simply…

Two Pampa residents are sharing what it was like to wake up to the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the Texas Panhandle. The earthquake struck at about 5:21 a.m. Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS measured the quake at magnitude 5.0 and said it was the strongest earthquake recorded in the Texas Panhandle. Pampa resident Catherine Noorderbos said she woke to a loud noise and her bed vibrating before realizing what was happening. I was sound asleep. I was jolted awake by a loud noise and shaking,” Noorderbos said. “My husband woke up immediately and said, ‘I think we’re having an earthquake.’ Then he asked me how to spell seismic.” Another Pampa resident, Stephanie Cruz, was working out in her garage with a friend when she noticed mirrors shaking and items shifting on top of a refrigerator. “I put on Facebook, ‘Was that an earthquake?’ Within one minute I had 20 comments. Everyone was saying, ‘Yes, yes, yes,’” Cruz said. Residents across the Texas Panhandle and into southern New Mexico and Oklahoma reported feeling the earthquake. There were no immediate reports of injuries or significant damage, according to the Dallas Morning News, but residents described feeling shocked…