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Fire near Jarrell drops to 300 acres, 75% contained

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:48 GMT

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Officials are responding to a large grass fire between Georgetown and Jarrell in Williamson County. The Texas A&M Forest Service is helping respond to the fire, named the Cobb Creek Fire, and estimates the fire is about 300 acres and is 75% contained as of 7 p.m. Friday.The forest service initially estimated the fire to be about 100 acres on Wednesday but said in an updated tweet Thursday morning that it was an estimated 500 acres. The service said the increase in acreage is a result of more accurate mapping. On Thursday afternoon, the forest service said crews built a containment line "closer to the fire's edge," dropping the estimated size of the fire to 300 acres. "Aviation and ground crews are making good progress," the Texas A&M Forest Service wrote on social media.The grass fire started Wednesday afternoon at 1001 Cobb Creek Road shortly after 4:30 p.m., according to a news release from Williamson County. Shortly before 9 p.m., Willia...

Shintaro Fujinami joins first-place Orioles after trade: ‘I’ll do my best here’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:48 GMT

The Orioles’ attendance at Camden Yards this season has improved, but it’s far from one of the best in the major leagues.To Shintaro Fujinami, though, the home crowds he’ll pitch in front of over the season’s final two and a half months will dwarf those compared with his former team.“A little nervous,” Fujinami said through interpreter Issei Kamada before Friday’s game versus the Tampa Bay Rays in his first time speaking with local media. “A lot more people watching the game. Obviously, some situations, Oakland have some fans watching [me], but this is going to be more fans. A little more pressure.”The Orioles acquired Fujinami, a hard-throwing right-handed reliever, from the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday evening. He was added to the 26-man roster Friday, with right-hander Logan Gillaspie being optioned to Triple-A. The Orioles, the American League’s best team with a 59-37 record entering Friday, have drawn an average of 2...

Water restrictions on tap with St. Croix Watershed in drought warning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:48 GMT

All public water suppliers in the St. Croix Watershed must implement water restrictions after a drought watch turned into a drought warning, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.The Minnesota portion of the watershed includes parts of Washington, Anoka, Isanti, Chisago, Pine, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Carlton and Aitkin counties and an extreme northeast portion of Ramsey County, the DNR said in a news release Friday.Under the state’s drought management plan, the DNR will now work with the state’s drought taskforce to take action as drought conditions “continue and intensify in parts of the state.”More than 80 percent of Minnesota is experiencing “abnormally dry and/or moderate drought conditions,” according to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday.In addition, 17 percent of the state is in severe drought, which is up from 11 percent last week. The portion of the state experiencing extreme drought is now 1.5 percent, up...

New movie "Oppenheimer" has ties to St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - An epic historical biopic is in theaters this week, "Oppenheimer," but many may not realize the tie it has to St. Louis.People arrived at Marcus Ronnie's Cinema on South Lindbergh Boulevard Friday to see the 6 p.m. show. Oppenheimer is opening at several other theaters around St. Louis.It tells the story of the top-secret Manhattan Project's development during World War II, and the work done in the St. Louis area is a part of that history."So we kind of wanted to see what it looked like and what they came up with," said Kate Dyer. "And actually for as strange as it is, it's really pretty up there. So really like it, they've done a good job." Missouri & Illinois players win $1M in record Powerball jackpot As the story of J Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, begins to be told in theaters, the Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center serves as a reminder of the nuclear weapons and waste produced in St. Louis during the mid-twentieth century."...

Broncos signing veteran kicker Brett Maher to one-year deal, source says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:48 GMT

Sean Payton said the Broncos would keep exploring kicking options, and just ahead of training camp they’re doing just that.Denver is signing veteran kicker Brett Maher to a one-year deal, a source confirmed to The Post on Friday evening.Maher, 33, started eight games for Payton’s New Orleans team in 2021 and spent three other years as Dallas’ primary kicker. He held that role last year and was terrific in the regular season, converting 29 of 32 field goals and 50 of 53 extra points. In the playoffs, however, Maher melted down missing 5 of 6 extra point attempts across two games, including four alone in a Wild Card round win over Tampa Bay.The Broncos brought Maher in for a workout after releasing veteran Brandon McManus earlier this offseason. At that point, they signed Elliott Fry to a one-year deal.The signing could spell trouble for Fry but also could simply mean Payton and the Broncos are setting up a kicking competition through training camp.Even if training c...

L.A. County Parks opens cooling centers for relief from heat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:48 GMT

The Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation opened several cooling centers throughout the area to provide relief from extreme heat. The cooling centers will be open Friday, July 21, from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m and Saturday, July 22, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Think it’s hot now? Get ready for temperatures up to 115 this weekend L.A. County Parks is encouraging the community to visit Splashpads, Lakes, and Parks After Dark programming for additional cooling options.Heat warning sign at Golden Canyon Trailhead. (NPS photo by Casey Patel)Here is a a list of cooling centers:Jackie Robinson ParkStephen Sorensen ParkVal Verde Community Regional ParkCastaic Regional Sports ComplexGeorge Lane ParkPearblossom ParkCol. Leon H. Washington ParkAmelia Mayberry ParkAdventure ParkMary M. Bethune ParkLennox ParkFranklin D. Roosevelt ParkEarvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation AreaDel Aire ParkVisit parks.lacounty.gov/cooling-centers to find a nearby cooling center.

Abdelkarim Alhazaymeh Killed in Multi-Car Collision on Highway 50 [Sacramento, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:48 GMT

9-Year-Old Boy Pronounced Dead after Multi-Vehicle Accident near 59th StreetSACRAMENTO, CA (July 21, 2023) – Thursday night, Abdelkarim Alhazaymeh was killed in a multi-car collision on Highway 50.Dispatchers received calls in the area around 6:35 p.m., near 59th Street.According to reports, the 19-year-old female driver of a Mazda attempted to switch lanes when the rear-end of her vehicle struck the front a Toyota.The Mazda then veered left and struck the center divider before veering back across two right lanes and side-swiping a Honda. Upon impact, the Honda was pushed off the highway and overturned onto the 59th Street on-ramp.A 9-year-old occupant inside the Honda, later identified as Alhazaymeh was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected onto the road.Due to the extent of injuries sustained, medics pronounced the young boy dead at the scene.Meanwhile, paramedics transported the three drivers to a nearby hospital with non life-threatening injuries. Although, authorities h...

N. Korea, mum on missing US soldier, launches missile

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:48 GMT

By Kim Tong-Hyung | Associated PressSEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward its western sea Saturday, South Korea’s military said, marking the second launch event this week apparently in protest of the docking of a nuclear-armed U.S. submarine in South Korea.While adding to its barrage of missile launches in recent months, North Korea remained publicly silent for a fifth day on the fate of an American soldier who bolted into the North across the heavily armed Korean border this week.South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were detected beginning around 4 a.m. but did not immediately report how many missiles were fired or how far they flew. It said the U.S. and South Korean militaries were closely analyzing the launches.North Korea in recent years has been testing newly developed cruise missiles it describes as “strategic,” implying an intent to arm them with nuclear weapons. Experts say the main mission of those wea...

BART slows trains due to warm weather

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:48 GMT

ANTIOCH – BART on Friday announced plans to run trains at slower speeds due to warm weather.Major delays are expected from 4 to 7 p.m. on the Antioch, Berryessa (San Jose) and Dublin/Pleasanton lines.Temperatures on Friday hit 104 degrees in Livermore, 102 in Concord and 87 in San Jose, according to the National Weather Service.Related ArticlesTransportation | Letters: Hold back sea | Harm’s way | Hate speech | Not ‘improvements’ | Change focus Transportation | Glazer: My fellow California Democrats keep repeating the same mistakes Transportation | Ex-mayor makes his case: Common sense says build BART to downtown San Jose Transportation | Messy Monday morning for BART as ‘major delays’ plague commute Transportation | Widespread BART delays caused by technical issues Saturday afternoon Check back for updates.

New Jersey files suit to stop NYC congestion charge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:48 GMT

Associated PressTRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey has filed a federal lawsuit aimed at stopping New York’s plan to charge big tolls to drive into the most visited parts of Manhattan, arguing that New Jersey residents and towns will bear the brunt without benefiting.New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced his state’s plans on Friday. The lawsuit against the Federal Highway Administration claims the agency’s approval of the plan last month was “misguided” and violates the National Environmental Policy Act. New Jersey also wants a more comprehensive environmental study conducted for the plan.New York officials have said the first-in-the-nation plan is part of an effort to reduce traffic, to improve air quality and to raise funds for the city’s public transit system. Murphy, though, said commuters headed in to the city will instead find different ways to avoid paying higher tolls, resulting in more traffic and more pollution.“(The FHA) finding that the M...