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'Heat dome' tackles Texas -- but what is it?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:54:00 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Scorching temperatures brought on by a “heat dome” have taxed the Texas power grid and threaten to bring record highs to the state before they are expected to expand to other parts of the U.S. during the coming week, putting even more people at risk.“Going forward, that heat is going to expand ... north to Kansas City and the entire state of Oklahoma, into the Mississippi Valley ... to the far western Florida Panhandle and parts of western Alabama," while remaining over Texas, said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service.Record high temperatures around 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) are forecast in parts of western Texas on Monday, and relief is not expected before the Fourth of July holiday, Oravec said.Cori Iadonisi, of Dallas, summed up the weather simply: “It’s just too hot here.”Iadonisi, 40, said she often urges local friends to visit her native Washington state to beat the heat in the summer.“You can’t go outside," Ia...

'Lawful but awful': Florida homeowner shoots at pool cleaner he mistook for intruder, won't face charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:54:00 GMT

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A man won't face charges after he opened fire on a pool cleaner who he mistook for an intruder, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. According to the Sheriff's Office, the two homeowners called 911 around 9 p.m. on Sunday after spotting a man on their lanai. The sheriff said the man was hired by the homeowners to clean their pool and had been working for them for around six months to a year. 11 arrested for having enough fentanyl to kill 95K people in Polk County, sheriff’s office says The victim had been busy with other appointments and showed up at their home later than expected. Deputies said the pool cleaner did not notify the homeowners that he was coming that late at night. He usually stops by on Thursday or Friday afternoon, Gualtieri said. According to the Sheriff's Office, one of the homeowners said she was in the family room when she saw a man she did not recognize through the sliding glass doors. She locked the door and told her hus...

Five takeaways from the prime-time shuffle at Fox News

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:54:00 GMT

(The Hill) - Fox News made major changes to its weeknight lineup on Monday, shifting some of its top pundits into new time slots and signaling the beginning of a new era in primetime at the network.  The changes, which go into effect next month, offer clues about the conservative media giant’s strategy ahead of next year’s GOP primary and presidential election.  The reshuffling also comes amid a time of upheaval across the cable news business more generally and as Fox specifically deals with the fallout of a slew of legal headaches and controversies it has faced over its coverage of the 2020 election.  Here are five takeaways.  Jesse Watters sees his star rise further at Fox Jesse Watters, who got his start in Fox’s 8 p.m. hour as a correspondent for Bill O’Reilly’s program, is taking over Tucker Carlson’s primetime hour. That gives him the keys to what has, in recent years, ranked as the network’s most-watched evening hour.  Carlson was ...

Sun to boost temps Tuesday and Wednesday — expanding heat to push 100s into downstate Illinois setting stage for Chicago thunderstorm clusters Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:54:00 GMT

A new week is underway after the wettest and warmest weekend to date of 2023. Nights hit 93 Saturday, the hottest single high temperature to date this year, and 86 Sunday, and the most significant rain in more than 3 weeks arrived Saturday night with a few downpours on Sunday too, but they’ve only made a dent in the drought.Sunshine is to stage a comeback Tuesday and Wednesday, but expanding Texas hot dome will push daytime 100s into Missouri and downstate Illinois by Thursday, pushing gate rain-supporting jet stream northward into the Chicago area in the process and renewing prospects for more rain later this week.The weekend rains were awesome in much of the Chicago metro area. O'Hare picked up, with showers since midnight included, 0.81" of rain while Midway tallied 1.45" of rain. But the rains weren't drought busters.While O'Hare rainfall since April 1 has risen to 4.99", that's less than half (43% to be precise) of the 11.71" of rain considered normal to date. The Northwest Sid...

Poll: Kamala Harris sets record low for vice president net favorability

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:54:00 GMT

Nearly half of the respondents have a negative view of Vice President Harris, according to a new NBC News survey. The poll, published on Monday, found that 49 percent of respondents have a negative opinion of Harris, while 32 percent of those surveyed have a positive opinion of the vice president. Harris received a net negative rating of -17, which is the lowest net negative rating for a vice president in the history of the poll. For example, In October 2019, 38 percent of respondents had a negative view of Harris’ predecessor, former Vice President Pence, while 34 percent of those surveyed had a positive view of the now Republican Presidential candidate, according to the poll. The poll comes as White House officials have been working with Harris to repair her image and bump up her polling numbers ahead of the 2024 election, according to Axios. White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told the media outlet that he meets with Harris on a weekly basis to discuss...

LIVE: One year since 53 migrants died in tractor-trailer abandoned in San Antonio

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:54:00 GMT

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — Federal prosecutors are expected to share an update Tuesday afternoon marking one year since the deadliest human smuggling incident in the country's history. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. in San Antonio, which is where authorities found a tractor-trailer carrying migrants abandoned near an auto salvage yard last year. In total, 53 people died, including children. Almost a dozen others suffered injuries because of the sweltering conditions. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Toll now at 53 in San Antonio as families wait for answers A release about the news conference shared lawyers as well as investigators "will provide significant updates to the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the 2022 human smuggling incident that resulted in the death of 53 men, women and children, along with 11 injured."KXAN will carry a live stream of the news conference Tuesday afternoon in this story and...

A record may be tied of set today

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:54:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The record high for June 27th is 106°. That is the forecast high this afternoon. This record may be tied or eclipsed later today with a cloudless sky and slightly lower humidity.Hottest day during this heatwaveThe upper-high to our northwest has allowed for a drop in the humidity. This afternoon's numbers will be the lowest we've seen in quite some time with a potential of humidity in the teens for some in the Hill Country.The air much drier todayToday's Excessive Heat Warning is for Lampasas, Llano, Mason, Milam, and San Saba Counties where the heat index will be greater than 105° and as high as 117°. The Heat Advisory covers the rest of the area (EXCEPT Blanco and Gillespie Counties) where the heat index should reach 112°.Heat alerts continue through 9 p.m. Tuesday for most areas (exception: Lampasas & Milam County until 9 p.m. Wedneseday)The upper-level high has moved to the northwest of Austin this afternoon. That is part of why this day will be the hottest ...

Heat-related illness on the rise in Central Texas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:54:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Central Texas will continue to see more hot weather in the weeks ahead, but even with the warnings emergency crews are seeing a rise in heat-related illness calls."I am dying," said Kibbs Fortilus, who is a camp counselor. "This is not water, this is sweat."Fortilus said keeping campers cool is important, and with the extreme temperatures many of the activities are inside. FORECAST | Slowly turning down the heat over the next week "All of our sports, maybe some of our more intense sports, are done indoors," said Fortilus.For some people, there is no way to avoid working in this extreme heat. Construction crews, linemen and any other outdoor jobs spend much of their day outside."In the last two weeks we have seen a dramatic increase in call volume for heat-related emergencies," said Wes Hopkins with Austin-Travis County EMS."What the emergency departments are seeing are the younger males coming in, and I would venture to guess that it is mainly those occupational wo...

MN 36-Fairview Avenue interchange in Roseville closed for next month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:54:00 GMT

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has announced that the ramps and loops between Minnesota 36 and Fairview Avenue in Roseville will be closed for the next month. The closure took effect Monday.Fairview Avenue between County Road B and County Road B2 will have a single lane open in both directions. There will be right-in, right-out access only in both directions, and no traffic across Fairview through the end of late August.Crews will rebuild and realign the ramps and loops at Minnesota 36 and Fairview Avenue near the mall in Roseville in summer 2023. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Transportation)MnDOT recommends an alternative route to Fairview via I-35W or Snelling Avenue to County Road C.The closures are part of an effort to reduce traffic backups, improve drainage, and bring existing sidewalks up to the standards of the Americans with Disability Act. Compliance with the ADA may include adding curb cuts and implementing accessible pedestrian signals.The project ...

St. Paul man identified as victim of fatal shooting in Minneapolis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:54:00 GMT

A 26-year-old St. Paul man has been identified as the victim in a fatal shooting last weekend in Minneapolis.According to the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office, Ali Abdul Reed, 26, of St. Paul, died of multiple gunshot wounds.Minneapolis police say that shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday, officers from the 3rd Precinct were called to a shooting in the 2000 block of Chicago Avenue. When they arrived, they found Reed outside with gunshot injuries. The officers performed medical aid until an ambulance arrived.Despite the efforts to save his life, Reed was pronounced dead at the scene.Witnesses told investigators they heard people arguing before they heard gunshots.Homicide detectives are still investigating.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | St. Paul teen charged with murder in North St. Paul gun robbery; 4 other teens charged as accomplices Crime & Public Safety | Man sentenced to workhouse in Ramsey County child sexual exploitation stin...