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'Intense' fire at under-construction Rollingwood home contained, Westlake Fire says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:38 GMT

ROLLINGWOOD, Texas (KXAN) -- An "intense" fire at an under-construction home in Rollingwood is contained as of 4:30 p.m. Monday, Travis County ESD No. 2 Fire Chief David Wilson said.ESD 2, also known as the Westlake Fire Department, said no one lived at the home, but that it was close to being completed. The Austin Fire Department was first to respond to the home on Pickwick Lane around 1:59 p.m. Wilson said a few minutes later the fire was through the roof.The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Wilson said.Austin Fire Department crews responded to a two-story residential structure fire in Rollingwood on Monday | Courtesy AFDAustin Fire Department crews responded to a two-story residential structure fire in Rollingwood on Monday | Courtesy AFDAustin Fire Department crews responded to a two-story residential structure fire in Rollingwood on Monday | Courtesy AFDAustin Fire Department crews responded to a two-story residential structure fire in Rollingwood on Monday | Cour...

Early first freeze for some this week as rain exits the area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:38 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Following a week of wet weather in the area, dry sunshine returns for the rest of the week starting Tuesday. But clear skies will set the table for the first autumn freeze for some communities -- coming two to three weeks ahead of schedule.A few light rain showers wrap up Monday evening following cold, light rain much of the day. Drier air is moving in from the northwest which will lead to clear skies on Halloween, but breezy north winds will continue pumping in cold air.Following a top-3 coldest Halloween Day on record in Austin with highs in the 50s, trick-or-treaters will need a jacket with their costume Tuesday evening. Expect chilly temperatures and north winds blowing at 10-15 miles per hour.Once winds relax a bit more Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, this appears to be our coldest morning of the week. While temperatures in Central Austin are not expected to dip to freezing, some colder suburbs and many rural communities will record their first freeze of t...

Texas volunteer fire departments awarded $15.7M in grants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:38 GMT

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (FOX 44) – The Texas A&M Forest Service awarded 260 rural volunteer fire departments with more than $15.7 million in assistance grants.These grants were awarded last week from the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Grant Program.The Forest Service said the grants will reimburse rural volunteer fire departments for equipment purchased like fire trucks, training aids, slip-ons, chassis and various fire and rescue equipment. This includes the purchase of 70 fire trucks.The Texas Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program is funded to award $21 million to rural volunteer fire departments this year. The program has allocated more than $336 million to rural volunteer fire departments since its inception.The Forest Service said the Texas Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program was created in 2002. It provides funding to rural volunteer fire departments for firefighting vehicles, fire and rescue equipment, protective clothing, dry hydrant...

New Kids on the Block to play outdoor show at Mystic Lake Casino in June

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:38 GMT

Grown-up boy band New Kids on the Block will hit the road next summer on a tour that stops at Mystic Lake Casino Amphitheater on June 23.Tickets start at $69 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster. Citi cardholders have access to a presale that starts at noon Wednesday.Formed in Boston in 1984 by New Edition’s manager Maurice Starr, New Kids on the Block enjoyed a run of pop hits in the late ’80s and early ’90s, including “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” “Hangin’ Tough” and “Step by Step.” In 1991, they performed at the Super Bowl halftime show, the first time a pop music group played the event.After New Kids’ fourth album “Face the Music” flopped at retail and on radio, the group split up. Of the five members, Donny Wahlberg found the most success after establishing himself as an actor.In 2008, the group reunited for a wildly successful tour that ran 150 dates. That...

Kyle, Kulas: St. Paul sales tax referendum? Let’s hit ‘pause’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:38 GMT

The St. Paul Area and Midway Chambers have reservations about St. Paul’s 1% sales tax referendum, which we’re voting on in a week. While the intention is commendable — funding road repairs and improving park amenities — the repercussions cannot be overlooked.St. Paul businesses already have been subject to numerous new tax increases this year, including but not limited to the 1% seven-county metro sales tax for transit and housing, delivery fee, increased tab fees, gas-tax indexing, and 0.07% payroll tax to support paid family medical leave. We’re at the point where our members are saying “enough.” In fact, through surveying our members, both membership groups reported back a 77% opposition to the tax proposal.There are funding alternatives to increasing the local sales tax rate to the highest in the state, many of which are dedicated to core municipal services and street improvements. While these options might not be a panacea, they must be acknowledged and ...

Nicholas Kristof: The agonizing challenge of Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:38 GMT

JERUSALEM — The most consequential decision Israel will face in the coming days is how hard to continue hitting the Gaza Strip. Should it undertake a months-long ground invasion? Continue with large-scale aerial bombardment? Allow fuel into Gaza to keep hospitals running?Over the last week that I’ve spent reporting in Israel and the West Bank, I’ve tried to listen and learn. So let me share why I believe we’ll someday look back at this moment and see a profound moral and policy failure.But let me start with someone smart who has a different take.Ehud Barak, the former Israeli general, defense minister and prime minister, knows more about the military challenges of taking on Gaza than almost anybody. In 2009, he oversaw a major ground offensive against Hamas.I dropped by his home in Tel Aviv, Israel, and we sat in his office, surrounded by his collection of framed cartoons mocking him — he has a thick skin — as he argued in favor of a ground invasion as the only way to crush Hamas.“T...

‘Fellow Travelers’ review: A secret 30-year love affair begins amid the 1950s Lavender Scare

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:38 GMT

Nina Metz | Chicago Tribune“You have a beautiful family, a beautiful life,” says one old friend to another. “I hope it was worth it.”In “Fellow Travelers,” the Showtime limited series adapted from the 2007 novel of the same name, “it” means living in the closet, which has been professionally beneficial for the sleekly handsome Hawkins Fuller (Matt Bomer) — it’s the 1980s and he’s about to take a diplomatic posting in Milan — but devastating on his soul.We flash back 30 years to the ‘50s, when he meets and seduces the very earnest and very Catholic Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey) at a Washington, D.C., party. They fall in lust and then in love, all in secret, during Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare hunt for communists, which extends out to include gay people as well: The Lavender Scare. Any opportunity to remind audiences of the cruel depravity and hypocrisy of McCarthy and right-hand man Roy Cohn is aces in my book.This matters because the two men in our central couple have governmen...

Unity House offers resources to survivors of domestic violence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:38 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Unity House has served the community in Rensselaer County for over 50 years and offers a wide range of services to survivors of domestic violence. Employees shared some signs to look out for as well as services they offer. Liza Warner was only 29 years old when she was murdered by her husband. He shot her at close range before dying by suicide. Her mom Martha Lasher-Warner said Monday would have been their 24th wedding anniversary.“We were not aware that control was a sign. The signs were extremely subtle in her marriage,” said Lasher-Warner. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! She said the pain never goes away but it has lessened, a bit, over the last 19 years. Since then, Lasher-Warner has dedicated her life to helping victims of abuse. She is the housing specialist at Unity House. “My job here is extremely important to me. I don’t plan to retire. As long as I can get out of bed and come to work, I stil...

Antisemitic threats made against Cornell University's Jewish community

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:38 GMT

CORNELL UNIVERSITY (WSYR-TV) -- On Sunday, Oct. 29, a series of "horrendous, antisemitic" threats were made against the Cornell University Jewish community, a statement from Martha Pollack, president of Cornell, said. The threats were posted on a website unaffiliated with Cornell and specifically targeted "104 West," the home of the Center of Jewish Living on campus. Cornell Police are investigating the incident and have notified the FBI of a potential hate crime. "The FBI is aware of the threats made to Cornell University’s Jewish community. We take all threats seriously and are working closely with Cornell and our law enforcement partners at every level to determine the credibility, share information, and take appropriate investigative action. We encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement. Nothing is more important than the safety of our communities and we will not tolerate violence motivated by hate and extremism.F...

Lawsuits aim to kick Trump off ballot under 'insurrection' clause

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:38 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — An effort to kick former President Donald Trump off the ballot went to court in Colorado on Monday, with a similar case in Minnesota set to pick up later this week. Both cases argue that under the "insurrection clause," Trump should be barred from becoming president again. "Trump engaged in insurrection and therefore cannot appear on the ballot," Eric Olson, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said. Olson alleged that the 14th Amendment should apply to Trump because of his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and incite the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.  Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! George Washington Law professor Paul Schiff Berman isn't involved in the lawsuit, but says this case isn't far-fetched. "This is not a crazy legal theory," Berman said.He says the 14th Amendment is straightforward in prohibiting those who engage in insurrection from holding higher office. So he believes the key quest...