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TxDOT starts campaign to end pedestrian-related crashes

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:52:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — "Walking billboards" from the Texas Department of Transportation could be seen across Austin intersections this week, each sending a message to drivers and pedestrians to be careful while on the road.Glynda Chu, a spokesperson for TxDOT, said the campaign aims to remind those on foot and behind the wheel about the importance of crossing roads safely, and driving cautiously when near pedestrians.TxDOT said this awareness campaign coincides with the changing seasons as the days become shorter and the nights grow longer.Chu said over the last year, the state has seen a 29% increase in the number of pedestrian-related crashes. She said this is a worrying trend that can be reduced with simple, everyday actions.“As a pedestrian, make eye contact with those drivers. If you see them looking down at their phone you know they can't see you. Put that phone away when you're driving, no matter what we're looking for pedestrians, looking for other drivers. Keep yourself and others...

State of Texas: Public funds for private schools plan 'on the one-yard line'

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:52:20 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday projected confidence that his push for education savings accounts will pass the Texas legislature, following months of intractable disagreements between the Governor and some reluctant lawmakers in his own party.“As we begin this final push, we are on the one-yard line, a good place to be,” Abbott said at an event arranged by the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation. “I am committed. However long it takes, that race is going to continue. I will not stop until we get ESAs passed in the state of Texas.”Unstoppable force, meet immoveable object.“Nothing changes,” State Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, told Nexstar on Wednesday. “Now’s not the time for timidity…Now I think we need to make sure all our positions are known and then stand by our position and never retreat. If I’m here in November, December, January, February, March, I’ll be here. This is one of those things that I feel passionate about. And we’re not just goin...

Gargantuan pumpkin weighs in at 2,501 pounds at Stillwater Harvest Fest

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:52:20 GMT

With hundreds of people watching, a forklift hauled “Joy,” a gargantuan pumpkin, over to the scale at the the Stillwater Harvest Fest’s Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off on Saturday afternoon.Grower Charlie Bernstrom, of Lancaster, Minn., told the crowd he was nervous as everybody watched Joy being lifted onto the scale.The pumpkin he’d started growing in April measured 20 feet around — the largest pumpkin to ever be weighed on an official scale.But more important than that, it was a contender to break the world record set by another Minnesotan a few days before in California when Travis Gienger of Anoka set the new world record with a 2,749-pound pumpkin.Joy was the third pumpkin this year that Bernstrom had grown that weighed more than a ton (over 2,000 pounds). The biggest pumpkin he’d ever grown had weighed in at 2,131 pounds.It was one of 50 giant pumpkins weighed at the Stillwater festival on Saturday.“What’s going through your mind?” an a...

PHOTOS: St. Louis Blues 2023-24 home opener and pregame rally

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:52:20 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Happy home opener night! The St. Louis Blues host the Seattle Kraken to begin the home slate of their 2023-24 season. Ahead of the game, thousands of fans had the opportunity to enjoy an outdoor pregame rally at Union Station. The rally featured guest appearances from new captain Brayden Schenn, chairman Tom Stillman, Blues Hall of Famer Bernie Federko and many others. Check the slideshow below for photos from Saturday's home opener festivities.

Thousands rally in West L.A. in support of Palestine

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:52:20 GMT

The Israel-Hamas war has sent shockwaves throughout the world, and the reverberations are being felt across Los Angeles and the Southland. Thousands of demonstrators armed with Palestinian flags and signs denouncing “Israeli apartheid” were seen marching down Wilshire Boulevard on Saturday afternoon. The Los Angeles Police Department said on social media that traffic on Wilshire between Federal Avenue and Veteran Avenue will be impacted due to the rally."Intermittent closures on side streets [will occur] to allow pedestrians to cross the intersections," LAPD said.Thousands of demonstrators armed with Palestinian flags and signs denouncing “Israeli Apartheid” were seen marching down Wilshire Boulevard on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (KTLA) Thousands of demonstrators armed with Palestinian flags and signs denouncing “Israeli Apartheid” were seen marching down Wilshire Boulevard on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (KTLA) Thousands of demonstrators armed with Palestinian flags a...

Photos: Annular eclipse peaks through clouds in parts of the Bay Area

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:52:20 GMT

Related ArticlesNews | Where to watch the partial “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse at sunrise on Saturday News | What to look for and where to buy solar shades for safe eclipse viewing Groups gathered across the Bay Area, including a viewing event at Stanford University. Crowds donned protective glasses to see the moon move across the face of the sun.An annular solar eclipse is different from a total eclipse as the moon appears smaller than the sun due to its orbit. The moon during a total eclipse appears larger and completely blocks the sun from view.While viewers in the Bay Area saw a crescent sun during the eclipse, those viewing along the route of “totality” were able to witness a spectacular “ring of fire.” The sun’s edges glow red past the smaller moon.Lesley and Lyric Dawson, left and center, and Iyanis Ludwig use their special glasses to view the eclipse during a viewing event, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, at ...

Man rescued from Mori Point cliff in Pacifica by police helicopter Saturday

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:52:20 GMT

PACIFICA — A California Highway Patrol helicopter rescued a man who was stranded at the base of a cliff in Pacifica Saturday afternoon, authorities said.Shortly after 1 p.m., local firefighters and police discovered an adult man trapped between the rising tide and the steep, 200-foot bluffs at Mori Point, according to the North County Fire Authority.Unable to make his way to safety in the knee-deep water, a CHP helicopter rescued the man and transported him to paramedics waiting at the top of the cliff.The North County Fire Authority said neither the man nor responding firefighters were injured. The incident was resolved within 90 minutes.

Cal’s missed opportunities seal 31-14 loss to No. 16 Utah

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:52:20 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY — Cal gave itself a couple chances against No. 16 Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium but could not get over the hump in a 34-14 defeat on Saturday afternoon.Down 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, the Bears whiffed when freshman Mateen Bhaghani missed a 30-yard field goal. Two plays later, Utah safety-turned-running back Sione Vaki raced 72 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown that pushed the Utes into a 31-14 lead with 6:51 to play in front of 52,115, their 80th consecutive sellout.It was a day of missed opportunities for the Bears, who scored first and were locked in a 7-7 game entering the final minute of the first half.But in a span of barely 6 minutes stretching into third quarter, Utah scored 17 unanswered points to seemingly take control at 24-7.Redshirt freshman Fernando Mendoza’s nicely thrown 24-yard touchdown strike to Taj Davis brought the Bears within 24-14 with 4:31 left in the third quarter, but they got no closer.Mendoza, who threw a pair of tou...

Woman is knocked unconscious after being hit by a car near the Fresno airport

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:52:20 GMT

A woman was rushed unconscious to the hospital about 10:30 a.m. Saturday after she was struck by a car in front of Fresno Yosemite International Airport, the Fresno Police Department reported.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | East Bay school crossing guard hospitalized after being hit by car Crashes and Disasters | Stranger is missing after pulling child from river after crash near Tracy Crashes and Disasters | These Bay Area cities ranked the worst for drivers in the U.S. Crashes and Disasters | Cable-car accident in San Francisco sends 6 to hospital Crashes and Disasters | Another leak at Martinez refinery brings hazardous materials team A spokesman said the incident happened at East Clinton Avenue and North Gateway Boulevard. Officers found the woman breathing, but unconscious and rendered aid until firefighters and other emergency responders arrived. She was taken to Community Regional Medical ...

Piper Laurie, 3-time Oscar nominee with film credits such as ‘The Hustler’ and ‘Carrie,’ dies at 91

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:52:20 GMT

By BOB THOMAS (Associated Press)Piper Laurie, the strong-willed, Oscar-nominated actor who performed in acclaimed roles despite at one point abandoning acting altogether in search of a “more meaningful” life, died early Saturday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 91.Laurie died of old age, her manager, Marion Rosenberg, told The Associated Press via email, adding that she was “a superb talent and a wonderful human being.”Laurie arrived in Hollywood in 1949 as Rosetta Jacobs and was quickly given a contract with Universal-International, a new name that she hated and a string of starring roles with Ronald Reagan, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis, among others.She went on to receive Academy Award nominations for three distinct films: The 1961 poolroom drama “The Hustler”; the film version of Stephen King’s horror classic “Carrie,” in 1976; and the romantic drama “Children of a Lesser God,” in 1986. She also appear...