Airline Tragedy Hits Home

Dallas-area man among those missing on Malaysia Airlines flight

Malaysia Airlines flight has been missing for more than 24 hours.
Courtesy photo
Philip Wood was one of the Americans aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Photo courtesy of Elaine Wood/Facebook

On March 8, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished in the air with 239 people on board, including one from Keller, Texas. Philip Wood, 50, was one of three Americans on the list of passengers provided by the airline.

Family members and friends confirmed that Wood was aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared while en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China. Wood was an executive for IBM who lived in the Dallas area before moving to Asia.

Wood had two sons, 20 and 24, and an ex-wife, Elaine Wood, who posted an update on Facebook calling him "a wonderful man" and asking for "peace and quiet." His brother James Wood said that Philip was in Texas last week for a visit. "I am blessed to have been able to see my brother just a week ago," he said.

His family issued a statement asking for prayers, "not only for ourselves, but for all involved during this difficult time."

Austin-based Freescale Semiconductor announced that 20 of its employees were also on the flight; eight were from China and 12 were from Malaysia.

The Boeing 777 lost contact with air traffic controllers early Saturday morning. The flight has been presumed crashed; more than 40 planes and two dozen ships from several countries, including a warship from the U.S. Navy, have rushed to the site. Searchers discovered two long oil slicks in the sea in the area where the plane was flying, as well as debris that is speculated to be part of a plane door.

The flight is being scrutinized by counter-terrorism authorities because two of the passengers traveling together were using stolen passports.

unspecified

All are welcome

Texas nearly tops the list of the most diverse states in America

Party on the Plaza Hispanic Heritage Month

Photo courtesy of Avenida Houston

undefined

Capturing the vastly diverse landscape of America is no easy feat, but one new study analyzing diversity across all 50 states puts Texas at nearly top of the list.

According to WalletHub's annual "Most Diverse States in America" report, Texas is the second most diverse state in the country — coming in only behind California, which ranked No. 1. The study ranked each state based on six main categories: Socioeconomic diversity, cultural diversity, economic diversity, household diversity, religious diversity, and political diversity.

Texas came in so close — earning a score of 70.48 points out of a possible 100, behind while California earned a 70.77 score — beating Texas by less than a third of a percentage point.

As one of the biggest states in America – that also happens to border another country – Texas' ranking got a major boost just from its incredibly diverse (and large) population. WalletHub found Texas has the fourth-most racial and ethnic diversity nationwide, with a population that is 40 percent white, nearly 40 percent Hispanic, nearly 12 percent Black, and 5 percent Asian.

Though many may associate diversity with just racial and ethnic identities, it also encompasses other cultural perspectives such as religion, household size, and language. In fact, the study revealed Texas has the third-most language diversity in the U.S.; about 35 percent of Texas residents speak a non-English language at home. The state claimed No. 3 for the most religious diversity, and No. 4 for household size diversity.

But it's the Lone Star State's economic diversity that shines above the rest of America, WalletHub said, as Texas has the fourth most prosperous state economy in the nation.

"Texas really stands out in terms of industrial diversity, though, leading the country when it comes to the range of jobs residents have to choose from," the report said.

Texas cities like Dallas and Arlington, which ranked among the top 10 most diverse cities in America in 2024, are great examples of how diverse communities can foster new perspectives, greater versatility, and economic prosperity.

The states with the worst diversity were mostly on the East Coast. West Virginia (No. 50) claimed the title as the least diverse state in America, followed by Maine (No. 49), New Hampshire (No. 48), Vermont (No. 47), and Montana (No. 46).

The top 10 most diverse states in America are:

No. 1 – California
No. 2 – Texas
No. 3 – Florida
No. 4 – New Mexico
No. 5 – Hawaii
No. 6 – Nevada
No. 7 – New Jersey
No. 8 – New York
No. 9 – Maryland
No. 10 – Arizona

The full report can be found on wallethub.com.

texas rankings diversity wallethub reports