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Austin ISD seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — School is back in session and the Austin Independent School District is seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases.According to the district's COVID dashboard, there have been 230 positive cases since August 14th. "We are seeing a slight increase in cases since the beginning of school," said Alana Bejarano, executive director health services and nursing. For the week of August 21-27 there were 168 positive cases, with 89 of them students and 79 employees. "If anyone has symptoms we are asking them to stay out and see your healthcare professional," said Bejarano. "If they are COVID positive, from the date of that test, or if the doctor says date of the symptoms, they stay out five days in isolation."Austin ISD says it constantly monitors COVID-19 cases and still have masks and other PPE in its warehouse if it is needed.The district says its also relies on parents letting the district, or school, know when a student tests positive. "We are so reliant on them reporting this," said...

Hurricane Idalia could come ashore as a dangerous Category 3 storm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Idalia strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday and barreled toward Florida's Gulf Coast as authorities warned residents of vulnerable areas to pack up and leave to escape the twin threats of high winds and devastating flooding.Idalia was churning in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 storm, but it was projected to come ashore early Wednesday as a Category 3 system with sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph) in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. The result could be a big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend region. Hurricane Idalia forecast to become ‘extremely dangerous’ major hurricane, NHC says On the island of Cedar Key, Commissioner Sue Colson joined other city officials in...

William Shatner talks previous trips to Texas, and space, ahead of weekend Austin visit for GalaxyCon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — You may know him as Captain Kirk, or the oldest person to ever travel to space. William Shatner, 92, is making his way to Austin this weekend for GalaxyCon, a three-day, comic-con-style convention featuring more than 150 guests as well as photo ops, Q&As, panels, costume contests, cosplay events, workshops, parties, gaming tournaments and celebrity meet and greets. Comic-con style event coming to Austin Labor Day weekend It won't be the actor's first time in the capital city. He's been before, but one trip in particular, driving overnight from West Texas, stood out. Shatner told KXAN Austin was "a college town, and it was completely different from the rest of Texas."Shatner is coming for GalaxyCon, where he'll do meet and greets, sign autographs, and what he's looking forward to most — he'll be part of a panel. "In the fullness of my flesh. I shall be there. So, it's a comic con, and I'm coming into town to sign autographs and pose for pictures," Shatner s...

'Terribly inefficient and costly': Council to vote on money for development site plan process improvements

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It was one of the major affordability platforms Mayor Kirk Watson ran on during his campaign: make it easier to develop new housing. A consulting firm review initiated by the mayor and city staff found the development site process in Austin is ineffective and city delays cost customers significant amounts of money. For a single family home, the cost of development goes up nearly $10,000 for every month of delay, McKinsey and Company found. For multifamily developments, a month delay could cost more than $540,000. Meanwhile, nearly 80% of applicants surveyed said it took longer than a year to get a permit from the city. "The City of Austin’s development review process is terribly inefficient and costly and has made our affordability crisis worse," Watson wrote in his newsletter. "But, the good news: We’re gonna fix that." McKinsey and city leaders presented findings to Austin City Council Tuesday alongside desired solutions, including having a more cohesive process a...

Mayo Clinic Minute: Reducing viral infection risks when sending kids off to school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

It’s back to school for many kids around the nation. And once they hit the classroom, you may notice more runny noses and other symptoms associated with viral and bacterial infections.Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious diseases physician with the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center, says you might not be able to stop some of these illnesses, but reducing viral infection risks is possible.Kids returning to school at the end of summer often coincides with the start of the respiratory virus season.“You’ve got kids from lots of different households who are now coming together in a relatively confined space of a classroom,” says Dr. Rajapakse.And sharing more than their lunches. They are sharing viruses they’ve been exposed to at home. Dr. Rajapakse says some childhood illnesses are inevitable, but there are things families can do to reduce risks.“Making sure that your child’s vaccines are up to date before they return to school is gre...

Moby Rick's in Mechanicville permanently closes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

MECHANICVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Moby Rick's Seafood opened its Mechanicville location in December 2022. An employee at Moby Rick's in Saratoga Springs recently told NEWS10 that the Mechanicville location is now permanently closed. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! A post on the Moby Rick's Facebook page on May 26 noted that the Mechanicville location was temporarily closed. The restaurant was located at 251 North Main Street in the former Hildreth’s Restaurant, which closed in December 2021 after 58 years.The seafood store part of that location opened in December 2022 while the restaurant part opened in January 2023. Moby Rick's in Mechanicville is still listed as open on Google and has not been taken off the restaurant's website. When do the Capital Region’s ice cream stands close for the season? Moby Rick’s Seafood was founded in 2012 by Captain Rick Lofstad. The restaurant and market offers fresh fish and seafood from Long Island an...

Troy Police search for missing woman

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

LANSINGBURGH, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Troy Police Department is searching for 39-year-old Terry Bass, who was reportedly last seen in the area of Lansingburgh in early August. According to the police, Bass is described as a white female, approximately 5'2'' and 110 lbs. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Anyone with information about Bass and her current whereabouts is asked to contact the lead detective at (518) 270-4682.

TSA offers advice for Labor Day weekend travel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- As airports gear up for the Labor Day holiday surge, the Transportation Security Administration has advice for smoother travel. According to Bart R. Johnson, TSA's Federal Security Director for Upstate New York, being prepared ahead of time and packing properly can facilitate the TSA screening process. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! “The Labor Day holiday will be the final busy travel period of the summer, and our passenger volume will see a spike as early as Thursday,” said Johnson. “I encourage passengers to listen to the guidance that our officers are offering as our team wants to help ensure that everyone has a smooth screening experience so that travelers get to their destinations safely and get home safely,” he said.Additional advice that TSA suggests travelers follow are:Arrive early. Arrive two hours before your flight to allow sufficient time for parking, checking bags, and getting through the security...

Four St. Louis restaurants among USA Today's 'Top 100 budget eats'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis culinary landscape earns rave reviews from USA Today, which ranked four local restaurants among the "Top 100 budget eats" in the nation, including two in the Top 10. The USA Today research team analyzed around 28,000 restaurants from dozens of major U.S. cities. Rankings were ultimately based on the quality of Google reviews. Each restaurant recognized had at least 200 reviews, no more than 10 locations, and a "$1" sign on Google's cost scale. Why Bob Barker did not play for the St. Louis Cardinals According to USA Today, the following four St. Louis restaurants were recognized as the top "budget eats" in the nation...Teatopia (No. 3 overall)Blues City Deli (No. 6)Balkan Treat Box (No. 13)Eovaldi's Deli (No. 44)Teatopia is a south St. Louis café that specializes in tea and smoothies, but also offers a variety of salads and lunch options. It's open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Sunday at 2606 Cherokee Street. Blues City Deli, also recently named Yelp's bes...

Lawyers indicted with Trump say they were doing their jobs. But that may be a tough argument to make.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

WASHINGTON — As John Eastman prepared to surrender to Georgia authorities last week for an indictment related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, he issued a statement denouncing the criminal case as targeting attorneys “for their zealous advocacy on behalf of their clients.”Another defendant, Rudy Giuliani, struck a similar note, saying he was being indicted for his work as Donald Trump’s attorney. “I never thought I’d get indicted for being a lawyer,” he lamented.The 18 defendants charged alongside Trump in this month’s racketeering indictment in Fulton County include more than a half-dozen lawyers. And the statements from Eastman and Giuliani provide early foreshadowing of at least one of the defenses they seem poised to raise: that they were merely doing their jobs as attorneys when they maneuvered on Trump’s behalf to undo the results of that election.The argument suggests a desire to turn at least part of the sprawling pro...