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Record-long heatwave shows no signs of abating

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Friday was Austin's 21st-consecutive day with high temperatures reaching or exceeding 100°, and it is likely we will break the all-time record streak set in 2011.The longest-ever stretch of consecutive 100° days at Camp Mabry was 27 days in a row during our hottest summer on record in 2011. This is a number we will surpass next Friday as our streak reaches 28 consecutive days. Hazy skies brought on by a cloud of African dust will keep Austin's air quality in the moderate category for the next several days.We will likely wrap July, 2023 as Austin's hottest on record, meaning we will have had two consecutive hottest Julys in Austin out of 125 years of record. Austin Interactive Weather Stats (2023) Long-range computer models show little signs of a pattern change, barring a surprise tropical storm from the Gulf of Mexico, which are hard to detect more than a week in the future. Barring rain from the tropics, it is not out of the question that Austin could have 40-50 ...

Austin Energy works to expand discount program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Energy (AE) said it was working to expand its discount program, according to a memo sent to the Austin City Council and Mayor Kirk Watson.In the memo, AE provided an update on the completed and ongoing actions it was doing to support the expansion of bill discounts provided through its Customer Assistance Program (CAP).AE said CAP provided bill discounts on city utility services, weatherization, emergency financial assistance and arrearage management programs for income-qualified and medically vulnerable customers.“It is estimated that as many as 93,000 customers in the Austin area could be eligible for the program,” the utility said.The memo said June enrollments for the program reached more than 53,100 accounts, which surpassed its goal of 42,780 households.“Upcoming goals anticipate 72% of the eligible population being enrolled in the Discount program by June 2024 and 90% by June 2025,” AE said.According to the memo, the utility said it would continue to wo...

Lawsuit filed against Dan Patrick, Texas Senate over Paxton impeachment proceedings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A recent lawsuit filed in Travis County district court alleged improper handlings during the impeachment proceedings against suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The lawsuit was filed against the Texas State Senate, Texas Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Austin Osborn and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Gag order placed on Paxton impeachment participants The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Steven Hotze, a Republican activist, Allesan Paige Streeter, a Collin County resident in State Sen. Angela Paxton's district, and Molly White, a former Texas House of Representatives member.KXAN has reached out to the defendants in the lawsuit. This story will be updated when we receive a response.The lawsuit alleged the Senate rules created for the impeachment were done in secret."The process has been anything but transparent and has excluded Texans from participating and having their voices heard in a proceeding that could result in almost 30 million Texans being disenfranchised f...

Kowalski’s employees in Eagan, west metro avert three-day strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:49 GMT

Kowalski’s employees have reached a tentative agreement and called off a threatened three-day strike.Announced Friday, more than 600 employees across six different Kowalski’s stores reached a tentative agreement for a two-year contract that provides raises for part-time and full-time employees and secures worker-driven health care, according to a news release from United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663.The strike that was planned for Aug. 4, 5 and 6 across Eagan, Eden Prairie, Excelsior, Minneapolis Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis Lyndale Avenue and Minneapolis Chicago Avenue (Parkview) Kowalski’s stores has been called off.“We secured our Union Healthcare, won historic wage increases, pay equity and secured our retirement,” said Jacob Stromquist, produce manager at the Minneapolis Lyndale store, in the release. “I’m proud to be a UFCW Local 663 member and Kowalski’s employee.”According to the union, Kowalski’s employees have been working without a collective bargaining agreement...

People finding ways to keep cool in Capital Region 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:49 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – As temperatures crept up throughout the day, people found different ways to stay cool. Medical professionals say staying hydrated before, during and after outdoor activities is crucial. Those who have no choice but to be outside say they keep from overheating by drinking plenty of water.Construction workers say dri-fit clothing is better than cotton and some even swear long-sleeves keep them cooler, while also protecting their skin from too much sun exposure.People who can escape the heat but choose to be outside say they make sure to bring the essentials“Keeping a towel I got a towel in my bag, keeping a couple of bottles of water with you. Making sure you’re hydrated before you come,” said basketball player Darius Hines.Some say it’s their love for what they do that fuels them, despite the soaring heat.“Just the motivation of it that’s why everyone else is out here,” said scooter rider Jovan Jackson. “Sometimes it’s just so fun you don’t even care how ...

Mother stabs her three children in Pompey and then kills herself

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:49 GMT

UPDATE 7-28-23 at 4:15 p.m. -- Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick confirms to NewsChannel 9 that the suspect is the mother of the three children, who died from a self-inflicted wound. Correction (July 28, 1:11 p.m.): This article previously stated three sisters were stabbed. There were actually two sisters and a brother stabbed according to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.POMPEY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) -- Two teen sisters and a brother were taken to the hospital via ambulance after being stabbed by their mother this morning in the Town of Pompey.The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office said that after stabbing her three children, the mother shot and killed herself.The call went out for the stabbing at Oran Delphi Road, between Number 2 Road and Hill Street, in Pompey.Onondaga County Sheriff, Toby Shelley says that at least one of the teens went to the neighbors asking for help around 9:15 a.m., and the neighbor called 911.Once the Sheriff's Office arrived, Deputies along wi...

Lyme community concerned as solar farm fire continues to burn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:49 GMT

LYME, N.Y. (WWTI) -- Don't go outside. These were the order given to people in the town of Lyme in Jefferson County, New York on Thursday, July 27. A solar farm on County Route 179 caught on fire, which stemmed from one of the solar batteries.This concerned officials of potentially toxic fumes. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Jefferson County Fire and Emergency Management issued a shelter-in-place order for those who live within a one-mile radius of the farm. Route 179 was also closed to traffic.Emergency response agencies from across the region rushed to the scene. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul also deployed the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of Fire Prevention and Control.After four hours of battling the fire, the county's shelter-in-place order was lifted. But as of the morning hours on Friday, July 28, the fire continued the burn.Flames and billows of smoke could be seen from the reopened Ro...

Healthcare worker shortage in Capital Region

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:49 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Many capital region residents may have had a hard time finding a doctor. NEWS10 spoke with two experts, both of whom say that a myriad of issues are contributing to the healthcare worker shortage in our area. MORE NEWS in NEWS10“There is a shortage across the whole spectrum of providers plain and simple" says Assembly-member John Mc Donald III. The politician who is also a pharmacist, says the shortages run deep.“Whether it's the AIDS in the nursing home, the nurses in the nursing home, the hospital the technicians and yes in birth centers and yes with prime mostly care providers” he says. Dr. Joe Maldonado, the former president of the Medical Society of the State of New York agrees. He says the problem extends to most of Upstate New York. Why is upstate having such trouble filling healthcare worker positions, particularly doctors? He says diversity plays a role. “The large metropolitan regions have very diverse communities, which the rural communities do not...

Woman who struck Menards employee with vehicle sentenced to 20 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:49 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A woman charged with hitting a Menards employee with her car and fleeing the scene in 2019 has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.Debbie Penn pleaded guilty Friday to several charges from the incident in September 2019. She was caught shoplifting from a Menards on Manchester Road, then struck a store employee with her car in the store parking lot.That employee, Michele Arthur, struck her head on the concrete and suffered multiple skull fractures and bleeding of her brain. She says an Uber stranded her, then things really got weird "Today, thanks to the legal system who worked diligently to bring the suspect to justice, we close a significant chapter in this story," said Robin Diehl, Michele Arthur's sister.Judge Kristine Kerr sentenced Penn to 20 years for first-degree assault, armed criminal action and stealing. She also sentenced her to seven years for assaulting a jail guard, which will run concurrent with the 20 year sentence. During the sentencing, ...

Sean Payton on bashing Nathaniel Hackett, Broncos organization: “It was a mistake”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:49 GMT

Broncos head coach Sean Payton opened Pandora’s box, and it’s safe to say he regrets doing so.After Denver’s first day of training camp Friday morning, Payton expressed remorse for comments made to USA TODAY on how the Broncos organization handled last season, former head coach Nathaniel Hackett’s work in Denver and the New York Jets seeking the spotlight.“It was a learning experience for me,” he said. “It was a mistake, and obviously, I need a little more restraint. I regret that.”Since Payton arrived in Denver, he’s shielded his team from those outside the organization, purposely limiting media attention to focus on football. That was until this week when he told USA Today’s Jarrett Bell that Denver’s disastrous 2022 season was “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL” — a direct shot at Hackett, who was fired after 15 games and is now the offensive coordinator for the Jets.He even ripped the Broncos organization for the way they handled the seas...