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Congress faces ticking clock on flood insurance as hurricane season picks up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

(The Hill) - Congress is facing a time crunch to prevent a lapse for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as hurricane season intensifies.As fears of a shutdown swirl around a heated funding debate in Washington, D.C., there is some concern that NFIP’s authorization could get entangled in the fight.Funding for the federal government and NFIP's authorization will both expire after Sept. 30, and lawmakers are nowhere close to reaching a deal to avoid a shutdown.Previously issued federal flood insurance policies would still be active if the NFIP isn't reauthorized. But the program would be unable to issue new policies and face other funding constraints as thousands of Americans grapple with the damage of hurricanes.“A lapse of the NFIP at the height of hurricane season would be an apocalyptic nightmare,” Sen. Bob Menéndez (D-N.J.) told The Hill in a statement this week. “Families have faithfully paid their premiums, in many cases for years and even decades, and it’s Congres...

How Texans feel about Paxton prior to impeachment trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — With Ken Paxton's impeachment trial in a few days, nearly 50% of registered Texan voters think it is justified to remove him from office based on the actions he took as attorney general.Data collected through The University of Texas' Texas Politics Project from a survey from August 18-29 illustrates this. However, between Republicans, Independents and Democrats, those opinions differ. READ MORE: What do the 20 Articles of Impeachment against Ken Paxton mean? An overwhelming 71% of Democrats answered yes to that question. In comparison, only 42% of Independents said yes, and a much lower 24% of Republicans said yes. Instead, about 43% of both Independents and Republicans' opinions on whether it is justified to remove him from office answered, "they didn't know" or had "no opinion".The Texas Politics Project asked a similar question earlier this summer. June's polling data showed that overall, 50% felt impeaching Paxton was justified, 17% thought it was not justi...

Mainly dry and hot Labor Day weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- September starts very similar to how we spent most of August - hotter than normal.Afternoon highs will return to the low 100s in most locales today. Mainly sunny and dry skies will stretch areawide, with another day of ozone problems at ground-level. An Air Quality Alert is in effect for the I-35 corridor + Bastrop and Caldwell County.Air Quality Alert in effect Friday 2023 was Austin's hottest summer on record. What should we expect in September? Hot temperatures, plenty of sunshine and a relatively stagnant weather pattern continue into the weekend. This will lead to continued higher than normal levels of pollution, triggering more Ozone Action Days.Consider taking the steps below to limit your pollution footprint.Ozone Action Day FridayA few isolated spots of light rain may pop up east of I-35 over the weekend. But before you reach for the umbrella, know that these "showers" will be few and far between and are not likely to bring any measurable rain. BLOG: Co...

How Texas compares to the average US home price

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A recent study showed the average home price in the U.S. was on the decline, but how does Texas compare?The Motley Fool study listed the median home sales price as of the second quarter of 2023 as $416,100—a more than $33,000 decrease from the previous year. Austin named best taco city in America in recent study Here’s a deeper dive into what average house prices are in Texas like across the country.In Texas, the typical home price was listed at $305,497, which was 87% of the typical U.S. price, according to the Motley Fool study.“The typical home value in Texas is 13% below the national typical home price. With a median income that is 96% of the national median, the income to home value in Texas is just above average,” the study said.Data also showed the median household income as a percentage of home value was at 22%.Other key findings from the study:The median home sales price in the U.S. is $416,100 as of the second quarter of 2023, which is down 3% from the fi...

DIRECTV customers may miss out on college football games broadcast on KXAN

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – This Saturday, Sept. 2, the Penn State Nittany Lions will host the West Virginia Mountaineers for both teams' first college football game of the season. In addition, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on Tennessee State in a college football game in South Bend, Indiana.Both of these games will be exclusively broadcast on KXAN, but since KXAN was forced off the DIRECTV lineup on July 2, DIRECTV customers may not be able to watch the game unless the dispute between Nexstar and DIRECTV is resolved. DIRECTV customers are being urged to call the company at (800) 531-5000 and demand that it restore KXAN to their systems.DIRECTV subscribers do have other options to view the game:DIRECTV customers can switch their cable or satellite provider to another service. KXAN has reached agreements with all other local distributors and is available on all of them.KXAN is also available on streaming services such as YouTube TV and Hulu. As a broadcast station, KXAN broadcasts...

AISD to talk about federal money for former site of Pease Elementary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Austin Independent School District said district leaders will share more information Friday morning about an expected federal funding allocation for the former site of Pease Elementary School in Downtown Austin. The Austin ISD Board of Trustees Thursday night approved a proposal from United Way for Greater Austin to operate an Early Childhood Center at the Pease site, the district said. U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) would take part in Friday's announcement along with AISD Interim Superintendent Matias Segura, AISD Trustee Lynn Boswell and United Way for Greater Austin CEO David Smith and AISD Director of Real Estate and Asset Management Jeremy Stiffler, according to the district. The project at the site on 1106 Rio Grande St. would "help strengthen childhood development and workforce participation," according to the district.AISD shut down the school in 2020. 

Kyle increases water restrictions, looks to neighboring city for more water

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) -- The city of Kyle increased its water restrictions to an amended stage three for the entire month of September and is currently in discussions with the city of San Marcos to purchase more water. City council members received a water update on Tuesday this week from the assistant city manager in which a plan was discussed to increase watering restrictions so the town can conserve more and iron out a deal with San Marcos. Stage 3 looks like this The city says all residents can hand-water their lawn any day of the week between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Washing your vehicle at home is not allowed under stage three restrictions. However, car wash companies will still be allowed to operate since their water is mostly recycled and does not have a huge impact on the water supply. Landscaping and new pool permits will not be allowed as long as the city remains in the stage three restrictions. Irrigation systems, like your sprinklers, have special rules. There is no irrigation a...

Lisa Jarvis: Brain-to-text technology is about more than Musk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

Two new studies published simultaneously in the journal Nature document a leap forward in the race to teach computers to translate brain signals into text. It’s an exciting development in a field that is attracting millions in investment, including to Elon Musk’s brain-implant company, Neuralink Corp.But to turn these discoveries into viable commercial products, investors and entrepreneurs should focus less on Musk’s musings about a world where able-bodied people merge with computers to enhance their intelligence. They should instead focus on the monumental benefits of helping people who have lost their ability to communicate or move.Advances in technology are bringing researchers tantalizingly close to restoring the ability to speak to those who have lost it, whether because of stroke, paralysis or a disease like ALS. Crucially, that work holds lessons that could accelerate broader efforts to connect our brains to computers, including those intended to help paraly...

New State Fair CEO oversees her first Great Minnesota Get-Together

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

Renee Alexander has been to the Minnesota State Fair more times than she can remember as a visitor and employee, but last Thursday’s opening day marked her first as general manager. She is also the first woman in the top job.But truth be told: The State Fair didn’t want her, at first.Renee Alexander (Courtesy of the Minnesota State Fair)In 1989, when she was heading into her senior year at the University of Wisconsin in River Falls, Alexander applied for a position in the fair’s sales department.“One of my friends from college, it was her mom’s cousin (who) was working here. And she worked in the sales department. Sales handles all the food and beverage, they handle all the exhibitors, the Midway. So, I initially interviewed with them, and they did not hire me.”This was for an internship, mind you. She was majoring in business communications at the time.But Alexander’s resume landed next on the desk of Karen Leach, who ran free entertainment at the fair. She hired Alexan...

Nicholas Kristof: On their high horse, too many liberals disdain Oliver Anthony

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

What’s wrong here?A self-described high school dropout living in a camper with a tarp on the roof sings a plaintive cri de coeur about blue-collar workers being shafted by the wealthy, and it is right-wing Republicans who rush to embrace him, while Democrats wag their fingers and scold him for insensitivity.Huh? Have Democrats retreated so far from their workingman roots that their knee-jerk impulse is to dump on a blue-collar guy who highlights “folks in the street, ain’t got nothin’ to eat”?If you’ve been on Mars for the last couple of weeks, I’m talking of course about Oliver Anthony, a country singer who a month ago was unknown and now has had his song, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” soar from nowhere to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the last two weeks.“I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day,” Anthony laments. He blames the travails of workers on “rich men north of Richmond” — a swipe at Washington and elites generally. Some of his lines aren’t so different from ...