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How cool are trees? Austin tree canopy is growing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin is growing. But not just in the ways you might think. The City of Austin recently released data showing it made progress in the goal to increase Austin’s tree canopy to 50% by 2050. The tree canopy is the total percentage of a jurisdiction covered by trees, leaves and branches. The city calculates the canopy percentage every four years. For 2022, it was 41% – up 6% since 2018 and 11% since 2006, when it was at 30% coverage. "Having a healthy and robust urban forest is an asset to the city in so many ways,” said Emily King, the Urban forester for the city. “We're in a very hot time, so providing shade to cool down people, surfaces, and critters – that part is very, very valuable in our context,” King continued.“Trees also kind of act as nature's air conditioners through a process called evapotranspiration, where they literally make the air around them cooler,” King said. One group helping the city achieve this goal is TreeFolks, which has planted...

Pakistani doctor who sought to support Islamic State terror group sentenced in Minnesota to 18 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — A Pakistani doctor and former Mayo Clinic research coordinator who sought to join the Islamic State terrorist group to fight in Syria and expressed interest in carrying out attacks on U.S. soil was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison.Muhammad Masood, 31, pleaded guilty a year ago to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Prosecutors said he attempted unsuccessfully to travel from the U.S. to Syria via Jordan in 2020, then agreed to fly from Minneapolis to Los Angeles to meet up with someone he thought would help him travel by cargo ship to IS territory.But FBI agents arrested him at the Minneapolis airport on March 19, 2020, after he checked in for his flight.U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson handed down his sentence Friday in St. Paul.Prosecutors said Masood was in the U.S. on a work visa. They alleged that starting in January 2020, he made several statements to paid informants — whom he believed were IS members — pledging his a...

Judge lifts injunction for 30 cannabis licensees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

KINGSTON N.Y. (WTEN) -- A ruling coming out of the Ulster County Courthouse left some recreational cannabis applicants with more questions than answers on Friday morning. The hearing was in response to four service-disabled veterans who claim the application process unfairly kept them from opening shop.Just a few weeks ago, Supreme Court Justice, Kevin Bryant, issued a temporary restraining order that halted all cannabis licensing in New York. On Friday, Bryant lifted that injunction, but only for 30 licensees. "As such, those licenses identified by the office of cannabis management will be deemed exempt from the injunction," said Bryant. Those applicants were deemed “ready to be open” through the Cannabis Control Board and municipality where they’ll open shop, but that doesn’t account for the 400 others trying to open up a dispensary, including Scott General, "We didn’t get a whole lot of answers, that's for sure."General was approved for a license on June 15th. He was hoping to op...

Judge allows Missouri ban on gender-affirming health care for minors to begin Monday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP/KTVI) — A Missouri judge says a law banning gender-affirming treatments for minors can take effect.St. Louis Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer ruled that the law will kick in Monday, as previously scheduled. Families of transgender minors had sued to overturn the law. They asked Ohmer to temporarily block it as the court challenge plays out. Deputy shot in Lincoln County; suspect found dead But his ruling means that beginning Monday, minors in Missouri no longer can receive gender-affirming surgeries. Children prescribed puberty blockers or hormones before Aug. 28 will be allowed to continue treatment. Other children won’t have access to those medications.Additionally, some adults will also lose access to gender-affirming care. Medicaid no longer will cover treatments for adults, and the state will not provide those surgeries to prisoners.Physicians who violate the law face having their licenses revoked and being sued by patients. The law makes it easier for former pati...

Fire damages north St. Louis auto shop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A large fire caused extensive damage to a north St. Louis auto shop Friday afternoon. Investigators say multiple cars caught on fire around 1 p.m. Friday at the auto shop, which is located in the Kingshighway East neighborhood near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Marcus Avenue. Deputy shot in Lincoln County; suspect found dead St. Louis firefighters deployed a few lines to get the flames out while battling extreme heat. Crews stayed hydrated with a cooler nearby. It's unclear how much damage the fire might have caused in terms of costs. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire. Crews also responded to a large truck fire along I-70 near downtown St. Louis early Friday morning.

Charlie Blackmon: “Definitely possible I’ll play for Rockies next season”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

BALTIMORE — Charlie Blackmon played his 1,470th game for the Rockies Friday night. He’s hoping for a lot more.Blackmon, 37, is in the final five weeks of the six-year, $108 million contract he signed in 2018. But he’s hoping to return to the Rockies on a new deal next season, which would be his 14th with the only major-league club he’s ever known.“There is definitely a possibility I’ll come back,” Blackmon said before starting in right field against the Orioles. “I’m not saying officially, either way, but I still feel like I’m going to be an effective player.”Asked if he would consider playing for another team, Blackmon said, “Yeah, but Colorado is certainly my first choice. But I don’t want to think that far ahead. Right now, I’m not thinking about any other options.”General manager Bill Schmidt said the Rockies are “very interested” in bringing back the veteran outfielder and desi...

Denver police ask for public’s help in identifying a sexual assault suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

Denver Police Department officials are seeking this man, pictured on surveillance video, who is suspected in a sexual assault that happened about 8 a.m. Aug. 16, 2023, in the 1900 block of Arapahoe Street. (Provided by Metro Denver Crime Stoppers)Denver police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a sexual assault suspect.About 8 a.m. on Aug. 16, an assault happened in the 1900 block of Arapahoe Street, according to the Denver Police Department. The same man is suspected of unlawful sexual contact at 12:15 p.m. July 29 in the 2200 block of Downing Street.Police describe the suspect as a Black man, about 6′ 2″ tall with an “extremely” heavy build. He wears glasses and is possibly named Michael. The suspect frequents a downtown 7-Eleven store in the 1700 block of Champa Street and he frequently walks in the area.Anyone with information on the suspect or who recognizes the man in photographs released by police is asked to call Metro Denver Crime ...

Another 'flash mob' robbery caught on video - this time in Sherman Oaks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

There was a time when flash mobs at malls meant spontaneous dancing. Now, it’s a different kind of choreography.Authorities are searching for a group of thieves who robbed the Macy’s at Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks Thursday evening in the latest “flash mob” style robbery caught on video in the Los Angeles area.Authorities say the theft occurred around 12:40 p.m. as the Macy’s was filled with shoppers.Cell phone video shows a group of masked thieves rushing through the store, grabbing handfuls of perfumes and cologne, and then running out the door.A woman who was shopping with her grandmother said they felt helpless and frightened.“My grandma - it’s hard for her to walk around so she was just sitting there. The poor lady was scared,” the witness, who did not want to reveal her identity, told KTLA. “It’s getting out of control.”Cell phone video shows a group of masked thieves rushing through the Macy's and grabbing handfuls of perfumes and cologne. Sherman Oaks, California...

California’s two biggest problems have the same root cause

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

When Californians are asked to identify the biggest problems facing the state, homelessness and the high cost of living consistently rise to the top of the list.While they are not one and the same, experts say both can trace their roots to the same problem: a housing shortage in the Golden State.A recent study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco found that in the six months prior to becoming homeless, survey participants reported a median monthly household income of $960, which amounts to just $11,520 a year.According to Zillow, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in California is three times that: $2,869 a month or $34,428 per year.“The results of the study confirm that far too many Californians experience homelessness because they cannot afford housing,” said Dr. Margot Kushel, one of the study’s authors. “I think it’s really important to note how desperately poor people are, and how much it is their poverty and the high housing costs that are leading ...

New part-time shoulder lane to open between Southern California and Las Vegas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

Motorists traveling between Southern California and Las Vegas will soon get some relief from traffic congestion as a new shoulder lane opens up on Aug. 27The California Department of Transportation announced Friday that it will open a “part-time” lane on the southbound I-15, which will be available to commuters on select days of the week. California drivers could be charged more for having larger vehicles The lane will be available every Sunday and Monday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., the department announced on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.The Nevada Department of Transportation also confirmed the news on X. and said the lane will extend past the California/ Nevada state border during the hours of operation.For those who want to bypass driving to Sin City altogether, another mode of transportation could soon be available. California startup proposes night train between Los Angeles and San Francisco Construction on the highly anticipated bullet train that wil...