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These areas of the US at 'elevated' risk of blackouts this summer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:11:57 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Large swathes of the U.S. could suffer blackouts this summer, according to the annual assessment from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).The report, which forecasts how prepared the energy grids that power air conditioners, medical devices, lights and other vital resources are, found that roughly two thirds of the country are at an "elevated risk" of power loss.Those regions include the entire continental U.S. from Texas to the West Coast, along with large portions of the Midwest and New England. (Courtesy: NERC)Despite the extensive areas flagged by the nonprofit, there is some positive news. In contrast to last year's report, there are no "high risk" regions where normal peak conditions could max out operating reserves. In 2022, the NERC map showed many states under the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, either entirely or partly at high ...

Texas to charge EV owners $400 to register vehicles, $200 every year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:11:57 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Texas drivers looking to drive cleaner will have to fork out more money to do it, starting Sept. 1. Earlier this week, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 505 into law, which will establish a $400 fee to register an electric vehicle in Texas — in addition to a $200 annual fee.That's in addition to annual Texas vehicle registration fees, which cost $50.75 for most passenger vehicles/trucks. In total, a new EV owner could pay over $650 the first year. What causes those ‘unexplainable’ traffic jams? The bill was approved by the Texas Senate in March and approved by the state House last month. The author of SB 505, Republican Sen. Robert Nichols, said the law aims to make sure EV owners are paying their fair share of state highway funding, which is paid for by gasoline/diesel fuel tax dollars."We recognized some time ago that each time an all-electric vehicle does get on the road and displaces a gasoline or diesel vehicle that the state highway fund loses money," Nichols s...

Austin is now the 10th largest US city, census data estimate shows

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:11:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In recently released 2022 population estimates, the U.S. Census Bureau said Austin was now the 10th largest U.S. city, with an estimated population of 974,447.“Austin expanded its population by 12,547 residents, growing at a rate of 1.3%,” the Census Bureau said.According to the data, the Austin metro was the No. 26 most populous metro area in the country and saw the sixth largest numeric increase in population between 2021 and 2022. Texas continues to top the charts with fastest-growing cities “These population estimates show the city of Austin gaining momentum in population growth and continuing to contribute to the rapid growth in the region,” City of Austin Demographer Lila Valencia said.The Census Bureau said the newly released data was crucial in determining how the federal government proportionately distributes billions of dollars in grants and program funding for social services, community development, and the construction of schools, roads and hospitals.

APD searching for suspect in east Austin shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:11:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police released information surrounding a shooting in east Austin in the evening hours of May 14.At approximately 7:30 p.m., APD said officers responded to a shooting call in the 40 block of Comal Street, which is near the intersection of Nash Hernandez Road and Comal Street.According to APD, officers at the scene were told a victim was taken to a hospital with life-threatening gunshot wounds.During an investigation, APD said officers discovered that a small car club event took place at the intersection of Comal Street and Dilly Street, and during the event, a verbal disturbance escalated into a shooting.Police said the suspect was in a gray, four-door vehicle described as a possible Hyundai Sonata or Elantra.Image of vehicle driven by shooting suspect (APD photo)The suspect was described as a heavy-set Hispanic man with a dark complexion and black, bushy hair, styled in a bowl cut.Austin Police asked that anyone with information about this incident or other v...

St. Louis Co. Council passes bill to ban standing, sitting or walking on roadways

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:11:57 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - The St. Louis County Council passed a bill earlier this week that aims to change how pedestrians navigate the streets, specifically one that would make it illegal to stand, sit or walk on roadways in most cases. Bill No. 86, recently introduced by St. Louis County Councilman Ernie Trakas proposes the ban. After some back-and-forth discussions about the bill, the county council narrowly approved it Tuesday with a 4-3 vote. According to the bill, pedestrians would not be allowed to stand, sit or walk on roadways when a sidewalk is present. The bill does include some exceptions for first responders, a person legally helping with a car or health emergency or person getting on and off public transportation buses. New top prosecutor leaves high-powered law firm for public service This legislation is now on the desk of St. Louis County Executive Sam Page for consideration. It's unclear how soon it might take effect if signed into law. The bill also proposes, in si...

St. Louis CITY SC prepares for new rivalry with Sporting KC

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:11:57 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The hype comes down to Saturday's first-ever meeting between new MLS state rivals St. Louis City SC and Sporting Kansas City. Whether it's barbecue wars or the battles between the Royals and the Cardinals, Kansas City and St. Louis have always had some sort of friendly (or aggressive) beef.The rivalry between the pro soccer teams has already begun for the two sides.Sporting KC and Kansas City as a whole use the moniker "Soccer Capital of America" while St. Louis uses "America's First Soccer Capital." This alone has already created a clash between fans.The players and coaches involved have yet to feel it, but they are definitely ready to get a rivalry going. "The game's different. There's more contest, more fighting, trash talk. Of course it's different. I love those games," said CITY SC midfielder Celio Pompeu."Definitely, deep down in our hearts, we know what this means," said CITY SC head coach Bradley Carnell. "I think it's gonna be awesome," SKC forward Dániel Sallói...

The most common undergraduate degrees awarded in Missouri

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:11:57 GMT

For those who choose to attend college, deciding on where to study—and which field of study to pursue—can be impactful. Each year, about 3 million undergraduate degrees are granted and 2 million of them are bachelor's degrees. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the top three degree programs for the period 2009-2010 through 2019-2020 were business, health programs, and social sciences/history, with psychology, biological/biomedical sciences, and engineering not far behind.Wage variation among fields can vary to an astounding degree. As reported by Stacker in March 2023, "On a national level, those who study nuclear engineering technologies or become technicians in that field have the highest median earnings three years after graduation at $107,804, followed by the fields of biomathematics, bioinformatics, and computational biology ($98,074)." This same report showed that, in some states, graduates in various liberal arts fields—such as English literature, musi...

Fuel tanker crash shuts down Colorado Highway 71 from Limon to Last Chance

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:11:57 GMT

A liquid tanker hauling ethanol rolled on Colorado Highway 71 on the Eastern Plains and a stretch of the roadway is shut down.The tanker spilled its “entire load” and 71 has been closed from Limon to Last Chance, the Colorado State Patrol said in a 12:43 p.m. Saturday tweet. Drivers should find an alternate route.The stretch of the north/south highway shutdown is about 37 miles. The cause of the crash is under investigation.Avoid Hwy 71 from Last Chance to Limon. Rollover fuel tanker currently spilling it's entire load. H71 will be closed soon if not already, find alternate route. S54— CSP Sterling (@CSP_Sterling) May 20, 2023This story will be updated.  

Video shows jumper parachute off Santa Ana apartment complex

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:11:57 GMT

Video taken early Saturday morning showed a dangerous stunt by an unidentified daredevil in Santa Ana.The video, which was purportedly taken by a security guard and shared with a local news company, shows a person standing atop a high-rise building in Santa Ana, jumping off the ledge and immediately deploying a parachute.The jumper can be seen floating away off screen, apparently landings in a nearby parking lot and getting away without any injury.It happened around 1 a.m. at an apartment building at 15 MacArthur Place, which is identified on Google maps as the Essex Skyline apartments.The person who recorded the video told County News that emergency services were not called out to the scene as it appeared the jumper was uninjured.It's unclear if the building has been the site of other base jumping activities, although many California landmarks have been known to attract other thrillseekers, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Yosemite National Park. Because of its status as a Nati...

2 Bay Area cities among most expensive in US for a slice of pizza: study

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:11:57 GMT

(KRON) -- Everybody loves pizza -- maybe. Well if you do, ever wonder where the cheapest and most expensive slice is in the country?Perhaps, unsurprisingly, you won't find the cheapest slices of pizza in the Bay Area. Two cities in the region ranked among the 10 for most expensive pizzas in the country, according to a recent study by Betting.com. San Jose ranked second and San Francisco fourth for the most expensive average slice of pizza, the study said. Average cost per slice: San Jose ($2.70) and San Francisco ($2.68). Bay Area city drops out of Top 10 in most-populous US cities Here's a list of the top 10 most expensive (along with average cost of a 14-inch Margherita pizza and cost per slice):Portland, OR ($21.67 | $2.71)San Jose, CA ($21.59 | $2.70)New York, NY ($21.48 | $2.69)San Francisco, CA ($21.47 | $2.68)Seattle, WA ($21.14 | $2.64)Fresno, CA ($21.05 | $2.63)Chicago, IL ($20.88 | $2.61)Los Angeles, CA ($19.99 | $2.50)Bakersfield, CA ($19.92 | $2.49)San Diego, CA ($19...