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Travis and Williamson Counties now under mandatory burn bans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:12:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — This latest heat wave in Central Texas, along with a definite dearth of rain, has created a worsening fire danger for the entire area, especially the area along and west of Interstate 35. The drought in Central Texas is anywhere from severe to, as is the case in far southwest Gillespie County, exceptional.Soil moisture continues to be depleted each day. The lack of atmospheric moisture during the day with the relative humidity, a measure of that moisture, dropping into the teens and 20s in our moisture-starved area is causing more issues.Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday voted to put a burn ban in effect for the county's unincorporated area. For now, the ban is in effect until Aug. 16. This could change if authorities feel it needs to be expanded.Williamson County Commissioners Court also issued a county-wide burn ban that started at noon Tuesday. Their ban will be in effect for no longer than 90 days, meaning it can be canceled or expanded based on ongoing c...

Historic Taylor museum to expand health care for the underserved

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:12:08 GMT

TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) — The reconstruction of a museum in Taylor aims to increase health care access to its underserved populations. This is just the latest project that unites the ideas of history preservation and getting health care to those that need it. Grant given to Dickey Museum to rebuild home of civil rights advocate a year after devastating fire The Dickey Museum burned to the ground one year ago. The blaze destroyed the historic home of Dr. James Lee Dickey, a physician and civil rights advocate in Taylor.Two weeks ago, the Dickey Museum and Multipurpose Center announced it received a $500,000 grant from the St. David's Foundation to rebuild the museum.The center's president, Jennifer Harris, said the facility, to be complete next year, aimed to do more than just share the history of Dickey's life.She said the center will offer health services in an effort to continue Dickey's legacy of providing care to the underserved."It'll build relationships to help address the area...

1,000-acre 'Travis Club' development moves forward in Travis County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:12:08 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN Live’s top headlines for July 18, 2023TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Developers plan to transform what was a 1,000-acre ranch next to Lake Travis into a residential community with golf courses and a marina.Travis County Commissioners Court approved Tuesday the final plat of the "Travis Club," a planned development in the works for more than a decade. Tuesday's approval authorized the creation of 53 single-family lots, and four multifamily lots containing 68 villas, seven open space and drainage lots, three golf course lots, one marina lot and two lots for sales office space.In total, the development is expected to host 270 single-family lots and 220 villas, alongside its other amenities, a spokesperson for the owners and developers previously told KXAN.Developers first presented the plan under a different name to the Travis County Commissioners Court in 2008 and it was approved then. One year later, however, one of the financial partners inv...

Dakota County seeking applicants with lived experience for new committee on opioid response

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:12:08 GMT

A new Dakota County committee is looking for members with lived experience with the ongoing opioid crisis.The Opioid Response Advisory Committee is now accepting applications for committee members who will recommend funding for community efforts to address the opioid crisis, according to a county news release.All are welcome to apply, but the county is specifically encouraging residents with lived experience to apply, whether they have friends and family who have been impacted, are in recovery themselves or using prescription opioids for pain management.The county is also encouraging people to apply who represent the health care industry, including hospitals, clinics, treatment and recovery centers, along with community partners, including schools, businesses and other organizations that support people with opioid use disorder.Three health care members and three community partner representatives will be selected to join the committee and, while those applicants are not required to l...

Mark Gongloff: Storms don’t have to be this catastrophic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:12:08 GMT

Imagine trying to build a boat while it’s already at sea and taking on water. You rush from springing leak to springing leak, haunted by a vague sense that a storm is coming but with no idea how big it will be or how long it will last.This more or less describes how the U.S. is approaching the growing flood threat posed by a warmer atmosphere that holds more water, subjecting the country to bouts of torrential, catastrophic rainfall. Lives are being lost and property destroyed partly because we’re moving too slowly to embrace proven solutions to bolster our infrastructure against disasters that are becoming increasingly routine.Last week in Vermont and New York’s Hudson Valley, months’ worth of rain fell in hours, overwhelming antiquated water-management infrastructure, resulting in widespread flooding that took at least one life and wiped out roads, bridges, houses and more. Both places had experienced severe flooding before and had taken modest steps to avo...

Single tickets now on sale for upcoming Children’s Theatre Company season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:12:08 GMT

From knife throwing chefs to the return of the Grinch, Children’s Theatre Company 2023-24 season has something for everyone.Now, single tickets are on sale for the season via childrenstheatre.org.The lineup includes:• “Cookin'” (Sept. 12-Oct. 22): Directed by Seung-Whan Song, “Cookin'” features four Korean cooks in a cooking competition who “put on a masterful display of food chopping, knife throwing, pot banging and fire-blowing wizardry.” (Recommended for all ages.)• “Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress” (Oct. 10-Nov. 19): Based on the book by Christine Baldacchino and Isabelle Malenfant, trans playwright Juliany Taveras wrote this piece about young Morris, who likes doing puzzles, painting pictures, pretending to be an astronaut and wearing a dress from his school’s costume box. (Ages four and up.)• “Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” (Nov. 7-Jan. 7): CTC’s holiday favorite return...

Amtrak restores partial service for Adirondack Line

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:12:08 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Amtrak is restoring partial service to an upstate rail service. NEWS10 breaks down what stops are reopening and when they will be running again. Amtrak suspends train service in New York due to storm damage Right now, riders on the Adirondack Line can only travel from New York City to the Albany/Rensselaer station. But starting Monday, that service will be extended to Schenectady and Saratoga Springs.Amtrack customers trying to visit the North Country and Montreal just can’t catch a break this summer. There have been many disruptions because of weather, fires, and restrictions on Canadian tracks.Assemblymember Angelo Santabarabara asked Amtrak to get the trains moving again. In a letter, today, the assemblymember thanked Amtrak for the limited resumption of service. “While I am pleased to see the restoration of service to Saratoga Springs, it is essential that we work towards a prompt resolution to restore service at least to points north as far a...

New bill could limit surcharges on speeding tickets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:12:08 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- Points, fines and surcharges; all the penalties you could face for a speeding ticket. Currently, New York automatically imposes a surcharge of $88 or $93 depending on whether the driver was in a city or a town. This is in addition to the fine for the speeding ticket.  NYS forest rangers return home after fighting wildfires Assembly member Angelo Santabarbara has introduced a bill that would cap surcharges to a maximum of 10% of the original fine, "It could be a $45 speeding ticket, ends up costing in some cases two or $300 because of the surcharges, that seems to me like it’s a system that’s more focused on the revenue generation, rather than fairness inappropriateness." He said right now, the surcharges just don’t make sense. "When you think of a surcharge, you think of a percentage or a portion of what the original amount is, but in this case we’re seeing …. 100, 200, 300% or even higher at the end of the day." But what exactly are surcharges? "T...

Car slams into home in Lemay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:12:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – First responders raced to a neighborhood in south St. Louis County after a car slammed into a home.The crash occurred around 2:30 p.m. in the 400 block of Kingston Drive, located in the Lemay municipality.Eyewitnesses reported the vehicle was traveling southbound on Kingston when it traveled off the road, struck one home, then went airborne and crashed into another residence.People in both homes were evacuated. Witnesses said a family was watching TV when the crash happened.There’s no word on the condition of the driver or other possible injuries.This is a breaking news story. FOX 2 will have more information as it becomes available.

Man sentenced for St. Louis County armored car robbery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:12:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A federal judge sentenced a man to more than 10 years in prison for orchestrating an armored car robbery last spring.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Mark Diggs, 21, pleaded guilty in April to robbery, possession of a firearm, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime.According to court documents, Diggs admitted to robbing two employees of ATM Solutions on May 31, 2022. They were working on an ATM for Vantage Credit Union at an undisclosed location in St. Louis County. Clerk shot and killed at St. Louis City gas station Diggs reportedly emerged from the back seat of a white Kia Optima while armed with an AM-15 firearm. He demanded that an employee throw him a bag of cash. The robbery was captured on video.Later on, a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper discovered the money bag, and Diggs’ DNA was later found on paper inside it.Diggs' co-conspirator and driver, Gregreonia Hampton, pleaded guilty in May to one co...