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Texas flag briefly flown upside down at the state Capitol

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:04:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The state flag of Texas was briefly flown upside down at the state Capitol building Monday night before staff realized the error.Several eagle-eyed KXAN viewers spotted the upside-down flag as a live picture of the Capitol was broadcast in our 10 p.m. newscast.According to Chapter 3100 of the Texas Government Code, "the white stripe should be at the top of the flag, except as a signal of dire distress in an instance of extreme danger to life or property."Night staff "quickly corrected the matter" after they were alerted to the incorrect display, according to Chris Currens, director of special projects for the State Preservation Board.Gov. Abbott ordered flags be lowered to half-staff in honor of the lives lost during the "heinous acts of war carried out against the State of Israel and its people by the terrorist organization Hamas."Flags will remain at half-staff through sunset on Oct. 14, per the governor's order.

LIST: Where to get free eclipse glasses in Central Texas

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:04:19 GMT

Editor's note: The video above shares how to avoid eclipse blindness.AUSTIN (KXAN) — With just a few days until the annular solar eclipse, a number of Central Texas libraries will be handing out free eclipse glasses. Eclipse glasses are necessary to prevent damage caused by looking at the sun, which is called eclipse blindness or solar retinopathy. The damage could heal over time, but eye damage could be permanent, optometrist Dr. Andrew Neighbors told KXAN. MORE: Why you need glasses to prevent permanent eye damage during an eclipse The Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries program will give 5 million glasses to 10,000 libraries nationwide, including more than 20 libraries or library systems in Central Texas, according to the program website.The Austin Public Library said on social media it has glasses available at APL locations with a limit of two glasses per person. Here's a list of other participating libraries in Central Texas, according to the program:Austin Public Library...

How to stay safe while driving during annular solar eclipse

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:04:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Saturday, Central Texans will witness a natural phenomenon, with an annular solar eclipse poised to cross the state and linger above Austin at 11:54 a.m. But don't let any eclipse peeping hinder your driving skills this weekend.The Austin Transportation and Public Works Department is advising residents to not attempt to watch the annular solar eclipse while driving. Instead, motorists are cautioned to park or pull over to safely view the event.From a safety standpoint, it's encouraged to not park along the interstate or on the shoulder of the road, especially since those areas have higher traffic volumes and the shoulder is reserved for emergency situations. RELATED: Why you need glasses to prevent permanent eye damage during an eclipse With an annular solar eclipse, only a ring of the sun will be visible as the moon passes over it. As a result, it will be much darker than typical, and drivers are advised to travel with their headlights on. Austin Energy confirm...

St. Paul City Council to vote on ‘missing middle’ zoning allowing duplexes almost citywide

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:04:19 GMT

In 1975, the city of St. Paul used its zoning code to label broad swathes of the city off-limits to anything but new single-family homes. As a result, Minnesota’s capital city today stands a bit top-heavy with single-family housing, which is believed to make up more than half of the city’s housing supply. A study found that the numbers of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes actually decreased from 2000 to 2017.With the cost of both homeownership and rental housing prohibitively expensive for many St. Paul families, city planners have spent years studying the ins and outs of the zoning code. A proposal that would allow more “missing middle” housing — mid-sized duplexes and apartment buildings — in every residential zoning district in the city will go before the St. Paul City Council this week.A council vote is possible Wednesday, though the sweeping zoning proposal could be laid over for a week or more for additional amendments, which individual cit...

Schenectady man arrested after shots fired incident

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:04:19 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Schenectady man was arrested on Monday following a shots fired incident on Summit Avenue in Schenectady. Shabon Harris, 44, faces several charges. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On Monday, around 4:38 p.m., officers responded to Summit Avenue in Schenectady for reports of shots fired. On arrival, law enforcement found multiple shell casings and received information that the suspect was inside a home on the street.Charges:First-degree reckless endangermentSecond-degree criminal possession of a weaponFirst-degree attempted assault DOJ: Saratoga woman stole $50K acting as veteran’s fiduciary Officers surrounded the home and were able to take the suspect, later identified as Harris, into custody without incident. Police obtained a search warrant for the residence and found a firearm inside.

Singer, guitarist for The Bangles to speak at UAlbany

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:04:19 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Musician, actress, and author Susanna Hoffs is set to speak at the University at Albany on November 9 at 7 p.m. The event is part of UAlbany's "The Creative Life: A Conversation Series." Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Hoffs is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of The Bangles, an all-female band that rose to fame in the 1980s. The band is best known for the songs "Manic Monday" "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Eternal Flame."Hoffs is also a bestselling author, with her debut novel "This Bird Has Flown" being adapted into a movie. She has also released five solo albums and has appeared in the "Austin Powers" films. Folk rock duo Indigo Girls to perform in Troy The event is free and open to the public at Page Hall on the Downtown UAlbany campus. There will be books for sale and a book signing with Hoffs after the event.

Cori Bush calls for 'ending' US support of Israel military after attacks

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:04:19 GMT

ST. LOUIS - U.S. Congresswoman Cori Bush called for "ending U.S. government support of Israeli military" in a recent statement around the deadly Hamas attacks in Israel. More than 1,000 people have died since Hamas, a militant group that controls Gaza, launched attacks against Israel, triggering a response by Israeli forces. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel is “at war” with Hamas following the initial attacks last weekend. Following the attacks, many US politicians have issued statements denouncing the surprise attacks, some even calling for peace. While the U.S. and Israel are not formal military allies in the sense of a mutual defense treaty, like NATO countries, the two countries have a significant level of military cooperation and support.Bush's statement, shared via Twitter, has led to mixed reactions, including criticism from other elected officials in Missouri and beyond. The Anti-Defamation League also condemned the statement and said the suggestio...

Prescribed burns in mountains may bring smoke to Denver area

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:04:19 GMT

Several prescribed burns in U.S. Forest Service land could cause smoke to linger in the area for a while.Two of the burns, one near Bailey and one near Red Feather Lakes, completed planned ignitions Monday, but Forest Service officials said smoke could still be seen from those fires for up to weeks later.The Blue Ridge prescribed burn, in the Arapaho National Forest just south of Hot Sulphur Springs, started Monday with about 85 acres burned, officials said on Facebook, and has a few hundred more left to burn.Dead trees caused by the bark beetle epidemic produced a lot of smoke, Mike Smith with the U.S. Forest Service said in a video posted on Facebook Monday.Tuesday, firefighters hope to burn about 300 more acres, so more smoke will be seen from this fire.Officials for the Pike-San Isabel National Forest on Facebook said firefighters burned a total of 449 acres in the Payne Gulch prescribed burn near Bailey over Sunday and Monday.Crews will continue to patrol the edges and mop up, ...

‘In the Name of Music’: Georgia’s annual celebration of art, wine and harmony in Tsinandali

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:04:19 GMT

Tsinandali, Georgia may not be a place many have heard of, but it holds immense historical and cultural value for the country, and serves as one of its most renowned centers for artistic, literary, musical, and winemaking talents. Located in Kakheti region, the heart of Georgia’s winemaking region, the village of Tsinandali was owned by Prince Alexander Chavchavadze, a 19th century aristocratic poet, man of letters, and public benefactor known as the “father of Georgian Romanticism”, who transformed his inherited estate in a cultural hub of learning, art, science, and music. Transforming his estate into a veritable botanical garden, which itself was surrounded by some of Georgia’s oldest and best vineyards, the Tsinandali Estate was turned into a region salon that hosted luminaries as Russian writers Alexander Lumontov and Alexander Pushkin, as well as the French writer Alexandre Dumas, writes Michael Rossi.Throughout much of the 19th century, the Tsinandali Estate was known as a cu...

Atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Kfar Aza

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:04:19 GMT

Soldiers encounter unimaginable horrors as they remove the bodies of victims, including about 40 babies and small children, some with their heads chopped off, in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, i24 news reported.Journalists were invited for the first time by the army today (10 October) to survey the scene of devastation in Kfar Aza, the community on the border massacred by Hamas terrorist infiltrators, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)  continues to remove bodies of victims from the homes where they were murdered. Hamas terrorists murdered 40 babies and children including beheadings, according to a report, writes Yossi Lempkowicz.Here is the i24 news report:"The community’s cars, parked outside, were completely torched. And it was just a small part of the destruction, with no exact number yet of how many people were murdered, as bodies are still being collected and removed from the homes.The smell of death — that’s what’s left of a once vibrant community. Now, the foreign press were invited...