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Squirrels costing WilCo at least half a million dollars in damage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:56 GMT

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Williamson county Judge Bill Gravell said he has a new political foe during a May 23 county commissioners court meeting: squirrels. The bushy-tailed rodents have cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars recently and Gravell thinks it could be even more than they think. "I'm not joking, commissioners," Gravell said during the meeting. "There's no telling how much money we've spent on squirrels." A county spokesperson said squirrels grounded out a electrical pole transformer in Georgetown. The resulting power outage caused the county's Justice Center building to operate on two-thirds power, which eventually damaged two of the four chillers that regulate the building's temperature. The damage was so extensive that it was going to be cheaper to replace the two chillers rather than fix them, according to the county spokesperson. Costly damage To replace the two chillers, it will cost the county $400,000, and the new chillers are not going to be ...

5 things to know this Wednesday, June 7

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:56 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- We're halfway there. Happy Wednesday everyone! According to Meteorologist Jill Szwed, we can expect more or less the same as we got yesterday. Another thick layer of smoke will seep south around mid-day. However, the thickest smoke will be in Central New York and in the mid-Hudson Valley. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Many woke up to see and smell the smoky haze coating the Capital Region. Wildfires in Canada led to poor air quality in the area. Meanwhile, a suspected arsonist told police he started a string of small fires in Colonie over the last couple of weeks and according to police documents, he did it for fun. These stories, and more, are covered in your five things to know this Wednesday morning. 1. Canadian wildfires bring smoky haze to Capital RegionOn Tuesday, many woke up to a smoky haze around the Capital Region, with wildfires in Canada leading to an air quality alert.2. Self-admitte...

11-acre wildfire in Johnsburg contained in 3 days

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:56 GMT

JOHNSBURG, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An 11-acre wildfire that started on Friday was successfully contained on Monday in Johnsburg. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says the fire was between Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest and adjacent private land. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Forest Rangers were asked to assist on June 2 at 9:26 p.m. on Waddell Road. According to the DEC, due to steep terrain, an indirect attack and burnout operations were executed to mitigate threats and contain the fire. On June 5, around 4:48 p.m., the fire was fully contained. The DEC says the fire is believed to have started due to a lightning strike.

Multiple crews respond to church fire in Soulard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:56 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A historic church in Soulard burned overnight.Bethlehem Mission Church on the Gravois and Allen Avenues is pretty damaged here Wednesday morning, but the fire chief says structurally it's okay. However, the inside is heavily damaged.It started around 10:30 p.m. There was heavy smoke when crews arrived. People who live on this block were shocked to see all the smoke billowing out of the historic building. As soon as the first crews arrived, the chief said they went in, which allowed more air to get inside, and then the fire really took off - leading to more crews arriving to help. Missouri governor denies clemency for man facing execution today In total, it took about 60 firefighters to get the fire under control. They were working with three ladder trucks and one deck gun. The building is three stories, and there's a lot of wood inside.Chief Dennis Jenkerson shared that the fire was heaviest on the first and second floors., and there's a parsonage attached on the other...

Man shot and killed at Soulard Bar and Grill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:56 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Tragedy overnight in Soulard after a man is found shot and killed near a popular landmark. The crime scene unfolded in the parked lot just outside the 'Bottom Line Sports Bar and Grill' on South 7th Street and Broadway right across the street from the Soulard Farmers Market. Police got the call just after 12:30 a.m.Authorities told FOX 2 when officers arrived they found the victim shot in the parking lot. At this point, it's unclear how many times the man was shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Missouri governor denies clemency for man facing execution today Police have not yet released the name or the age of the man who was killed. They do explain that he was an adult.It's understood multiple loved ones of the victims showed at the scene after learning about what happened. Right now, police are trying to piece together the facts of what led to the shooting. Authorities also shared that at this point no suspects are in custody. Homicide detectives have taken ov...

St. Louis Walk of Fame voting underway until June 20

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:56 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Voting for the 2024 St. Louis Walk of Fame is underway until June 20.There are 120 members on the selection committee who will choose the next three recipients with a St. Louis connection in fields like music, acting, entertainment, sports, and science. The three winners will each receive a bronze star along Delmar Boulevard in University City. Free Trip Tuesday heads to Giant City State Park with Shawnee Forest Country! Among this year's 16 nominees are actress Jenna Fischer, The Temptations lead singer Dennis Edwards, 'Back to The Future' writer and producer Bob Gale, and NASA Apollo flight director Gene Kranz.The St. Louis Walk of Fame was founded in 1988 to showcase great St. Louisans.

Memorial in honor of restaurant owner shot and killed in May taking place tonight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:56 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A memorial is being held Wednesday night for a restaurant owner shot and killed last month.Fa Ming Pan, known to friends as Randy, was the owner of 'St. Louis Kitchen' in north St. Louis. Back in May, someone opened fire at the Chinese restaurant. Randy died after being shot in the stomach. Free Trip Tuesday heads to Giant City State Park with Shawnee Forest Country! The memorial is at 6:00 p.m. at St. Louis kitchen on North Kingshighway Boulevard.

Rockies Mailbag: GM Dayton Moore to Colorado? What can Nuggets teach the Rox?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:56 GMT

Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag.Pose a Rockies — or MLB — related question for the Rockies Mailbag.I read recently in a national writer’s notes column that the Rockies are supposedly talking to Dayton Moore, the longtime Royals front office executive, about a role with the team. Do you see something like that happening, whether with Moore or someone else? If so, what role would you guess that person would have? Adviser, or maybe president of baseball operations?— Dave, Fort CollinsDave, I checked out the column you are referring to by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman is well-connected, especially to super agent Scott Boras. So I imagine he didn’t write his tidbit without some degree of validity behind it.However, I’m skeptical. Moore did not return my text, and when I asked Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt if the club is interested in bringing Moore into the front office, Sch...

Why do we cry on airplanes?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:56 GMT

By Starre Vartan | CNNUnlike just 25 years ago, it’s now hard to find someone who hasn’t been on a plane.It’s a unique travel experience that human beings didn’t do in significant numbers until quite recently. So it’s no wonder it does some strange and unexpected things to us, including bringing us to tears.The reporting is anecdotal, but there’s plenty of it: Virgin Atlantic even did a survey in 2011 that found “over half of respondents (55%) agreed their emotions become heightened when on a flight and 41% of men surveyed said they hid under blankets to hide their tears.”When we fly, we are more likely to cry – but why?Psychological factorsThe first reason is simple: We bring ourselves with us. That includes the myriad mental-health issues we carry.“At every age level, across genders, religions, races and backgrounds, many people have one of the baseline mental illnesses, from claustrophobia to agoraphobia, and other various manifestations of anxiety – they’re ubiquitous,” says Dr....

Walters: New study finds California’s competitive edge is declining

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:56 GMT

This question, framed in various ways in media and political venues, has hung over the state in recent years as its population declined after more than 150 years of growth, as some major corporations (and their workers) decamped for other states, and as poverty, homelessness, urban street crime and other social maladies festered.While California’s critics and defenders, both internal and external, cite isolated anecdotes and data points to bolster their arguments, there have been very few comprehensive and objective examinations of California’s strengths and weaknesses vis-à-vis its rivals.Until now.On Monday, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce released a deeply sourced and fair-minded study of California’s past, current and perhaps future economic standing, indirectly warning the state’s politicians that they should not take the state’s prosperity for granted because its rivals are gaining ground.“We argue that California has been, and continues to be, the perennial winner in...