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Heat wave has US South sweltering, from tornado-ravaged West Texas town to Florida beaches

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:24:25 GMT

Communities from Houston to New Orleans opened cooling centers to bring relief as steamy hot temperatures settled across a broad swath of the U.S. South on Saturday, and beachgoers fled a water spout that swept ashore on a Florida beach.Gov. Greg Abbott meanwhile visited Perryton in the Texas Panhandle, where officials said more than 1,000 customers remained without electricity after a tornado killed three people late Thursday. The Perryton Ochiltree Chamber of Commerce said it would open a cooling center in the town of 8,000 people, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northeast of Amarillo, to counteract the effects of the high temperatures that followed the storm.The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings through Saturday night along the Gulf Coast from Brownsville, Texas, to Houston. It said heat indexes ranging from near 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 Celsius) in Houston to near 120 F (49 C) at Brownsville and Corpus Christi in Texas. Cooling shelters were set up in ci...

Biden finds receptive union crowd at first big event of his 2024 reelection campaign

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:24:25 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday cloaked himself in the most pro-labor president ever label, reveling in cheers from exuberant union members at the first major political event of his reelection campaign as he said his economic agenda is boosting the middle class. He spotlighted the sweeping climate, tax and health care package signed into law last year that has cut the cost of prescription drugs and lowered insurance premiums, pocketbook issues that are part of his administration’s focus on his achievements during his first two years in office — and he centerpiece argument for a second term.“I’m looking forward to this campaign,” the Democrat said. “We’ve got a record to run on.” His choice of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania – and a friendly union audience — reflected their crucial role in his reelection effort. The city was the site of his campaign headquarters in 2020 and the state was one of a handful that had voted for Republican Do...

U.S. deploys high-tech Pentagon program to help Canada detect, suppress new wildfires

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:24:25 GMT

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense has deployed a new high-tech fire detection system to help Canada battle one of its worst wildfire seasons on record.The White House says the FireGuard system uses real-time data from drones and satellites to help detect new flareups in remote areas before they burn out of control. It’s just the latest helping hand from the U.S. since smoke from wildfires in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec began drifting south of the border earlier this month. Since early May, more than 800 U.S. firefighters, supervisors and technicians have been deployed throughout Canada, along with various aviation assets. Canada has since requested additional airtankers and smokejumpers — wildfire specialists who parachute into remote areas — through both federal and state-level channels. Other resources being sent north include hand crews, incident management teams and fireline leadership positions, according to the Idaho-based National Interagency Fire Center. ...

Michigan man charged with threatening synagogue massacre

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:24:25 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A 19-year-old Michigan man has been charged with threatening a mass killing at a synagogue on the fifth anniversary of the massacre at two New Zealand mosques by a white supremacist gunman, federal officials say.Seann Patrick Pietila of Pickford, a township in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, was arrested Friday and charged with transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure another, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Prosecutors say he planned to target the Shaarey Zedek congregation in East Lansing.He allegedly made threats on social media, including Instagram, that included comments about neo-Nazi ideology, antisemitism and glorifying mass shootings, most notably the 2019 shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, The Detroit News reported.Pietila was arrested the same day a truck driver was convicted of storming a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 and fatally shooting 11 congregants in an act of antisemitic terror. The attack at the Tree of Life synagogue was t...

One-third of home buyers are paying in cash – who are they?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:24:25 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – It's been nearly a decade since the percentage of all-cash home purchases was this high, but you may not want to start stocking away savings in hopes of doing the same.Real estate brokerage Redfin found that 33.4% of buyers opted for an all-cash deal in April, the highest that mark has been since 2014."All-cash purchases are making up a bigger portion of the homebuying pie for one major reason: Elevated mortgage rates are deterring homebuyers who take out mortgages more than they’re deterring all-cash buyers," the study found. "Overall home sales were down 41% from a year earlier in April in the metros included in this analysis, compared with a 35% decline for all-cash sales."The analysis was based on county records going back to 2011 in the 40 most-populous U.S. metropolitan areas. El Niño could mean the hottest year on record, meteorologists warn The average 30-year fixed rate for a mortgage as of June 8 is 6.71%, according to Freddie Mac, so it's not surprising that...

What is a heat burst?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:24:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It is widely accepted information that, on the whole, the temperature goes down during the evening and nighttime hours. If they aren't dropping every hour it could be that they are holding steady. If they go up, it's not by much.But a rare event happened late Friday night in Burnet and Georgetown. And, it might have awakened you from a sound sleep. The midnight temperature at Georgetown Municipal Airport was 83° with a humidity of 59%. The wind was out of the southwest at 12 mph. The sky condition was reported as mostly clear. Based on this observation it stood to reason that the 1 a.m. temperature should have dropped another degree or two. But that did not happen.Instead, that 1 a.m. observation showed a temperature of 97°, a 14° increase. The relative humidity dropped to 20°. The wind was from the west wind at 17 mph and a gust of 37 mph. A thunderstorm started to weaken.Georgetown heat burstBy 2 a.m. the temperature had dropped back to 84° with the dew point up to...

Prominent corners of St. Paul are owned by an out-of-state pension fund. Some are bustling. Some are empty.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:24:25 GMT

When management consultant Sherry Johnson co-chaired a neighborhood task force looking at all the vacant properties on St. Paul’s popular Grand Avenue business corridor, she was taken aback to discover how many spaces were owned by the same out-of-state pension fund — the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio.Unlike some other commercial owners willing to host seasonal vendors, pop-up shops and art collectives, the retirement system has kept some of the three-mile corridor’s largest retail areas empty rather than lower rents and negotiate with small, local businesses.The Columbus, Ohio-based retirement system, known as STRS Ohio, owns the retail malls lining three corners of Grand Avenue and Victoria Street, home to such celebrated storefronts as the Bread and Chocolate restaurant and bakery, J.W. Hulme leather goods, Evereve clothing and Cafe Latte. But its mall at the intersection’s southwest corner runs for nearly half the block approaching Milton Stree...

Community gathers for Charlie’s Playground ceremony

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:24:25 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - In South Colonie this morning, Saddlewood Elementary School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for ‘Charlie’s Playground.’ The park is named after Charlie Fernandez, a first-grader who passed away from neuroblastoma. The community gathered on June 17 to honor her memory. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "Try Everything" by Shakira was Charlie’s favorite song. Her teacher says the lyrics perfectly describe who Charlie was.“I think the song that was just sung embodies everything that Charlie loved." said Sarah Norton, Charlie’s teacher. "And that was her favorite song. Try anything. She would. She would try anything.”Even after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma, her teachers remember how even after she woke up blind, that never stopped her from loving to go to school.“One of the greatest stories of what started this playground. She climbed to the top of the slide while she was blind. And I was like, ‘Char...

Mozeliak: 'We stand by Oli' as last-place Cardinals hit another skid

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:24:25 GMT

NEW YORK - The St. Louis Cardinals started the 2023 season with a historically bad 10-24 clip through early-May, and things haven't gotten much easier in recent weeks. The Cardinals, just like then, sit last place in the National League and are now 16 games below .500 at a 27-43 mark. They have lost 11 of their last 13 games, and their current six-game skid is their second worst of the season. RELATED - Missouri’s two MLB teams hold worst records in NL and AL Postseason is usually an aspiration for the team, but it seems like a long shot this year unless a large string of wins comes soon. It's been an adjustment period for almost everyone involved with the team, including second-year manager Oli Marmol. Nearly halfway through the season, Marmol has taken heat for several comments and decisions throughout the season. That includes his questioning of Tyler O’Neill’s baserunning efforts, the big-league development of young outfielder Jordan Walker and indecisiveness on the role of n...

Police: Man used fake gun to steal dog food from Maplewood Schnucks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:24:25 GMT

MAPLEWOOD, Mo. - A man is behind bars after he reportedly used a fake gun to steal dog food from a Maplewood Schnucks store. Prosecutors have charged Gerold Hopkins, 42, with one count of first-degree robbery in the case. The robbery happened on June 10 at the Schnucks location in the 7300 block of Manchester Road. Records: Man accused of scamming St. Louis slots is cross-country cheater The store manager told police that Hopkins walked inside the store, picked up a bag of dog food and started walking toward the parking lot with the intention of stealing it. The manager reportedly confronted Hopkins and told him to return the item and leave. After that, Hopkins allegedly told the manager he had a gun and pulled out what the manager initially believed was one. He got away with the dog food and started taking off on a bicycle. Police responded to the Schnucks shortly after that, then traced the location of Hopkins. After stopping him, deputies notices a bag of dog food inside his b...