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‘Shame on you’: GTA woman’s message to feds after fleeing Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:32 GMT

It was an emotional reunion at Pearson Airport for Antonella Barrasso as she embraced her family and friends after 30 hours of travel which included two flights and six days of desperately trying to flee Israel in the wake of the deadly attack by Hamas over the weekend.“Every time I wanted to go to the airport, something would happen and I couldn’t go,” she tells CityNews, recounting one instance where air-raid sirens began to wail just as she was getting into a taxi, forcing her to seek shelter in a nearby stairwell.Her friends back home encouraged her to get to the airport where they found her a flight home.“We had booked her on several different flights because so many were getting canceled,” said Nilab Jafarzadeh. “So at one point we had a personal flight booked for her to Athens. She missed the flight to Athens. So we booked her another flight while she was in line.”Barasso’s arrival comes as the first Canadian evacuation flights were completed Thursday with two Can...

Project Dynamo helping rescue people stuck in Israel - Hamas war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:32 GMT

CHICAGO — The number of Americans confirmed dead in the Israel-Hamas war has risen to at least 25 and another 17 are unaccounted for. Many more remain trapped in the region. Blinken in Israel: At least 25 Americans killed in ‘heinous’ Hamas attacks Major airlines stopped operations from Israel earlier this week. Since then, travelers have been scrambling to get out of the war-torn country.The Biden administration said the US will begin sending flights out of Israel starting Friday. But a non-profit group is on the ground now working to get Americans to safety. Israeli officials said air strikes and a possible ground invasion would continue until Hamas militants freed some 150 hostages. "This is the fourth war zone that Project Dynamo has been deployed to in 24 months," Bryan Stern said. "So far, we haven't seen the State Department do that well if at all in the other four war zones that we have worked in."Stern, the co-found of Project Dynamo, said the non-profit works to rescue a...

After brief escape, Kaitlin Armstrong medical records, surveillance footage sought before murder trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A few weeks before her murder trial begins, prosecutors are trying to get Kaitlin Armstrong’s medical records, as well as surveillance footage from the night before she attempted to flee from corrections officers, according to court filings obtained by KXAN investigators.Armstrong is accused of killing professional cyclist Moriah Wilson in Austin in May 2022. The trial is set for Oct. 30.On Wednesday morning, Armstrong led two Travis County corrections officers on a 10-minute foot chase through a south Austin neighborhood before being apprehended. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Armstrong ran away from the officers while leaving a doctor’s appointment at a medical office building. BACKGROUND: Kaitlin Armstrong attempts escape ahead of Austin murder trial; will face additional charges KXAN investigators obtained a subpoena filed by the state on Wednesday, requesting Armstrong’s medical records from St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, which is locat...

What causes 'near misses' at airports?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) issued a press release Wednesday evening stating that chronic staffing shortages within the National Airspace Systems (NAS) are "not sustainable" and possibly to blame for near miss events."Currently, there are 1,200 fewer fully certified controllers than there were 10 years ago," the NATCA statement reads, "The effect of that mandatory overtime has been very difficult to the controller workforce on a personal level, denying them time with their families that other Americans take for granted and increasing stress and fatigue in a profession that is already one of the most stressful."The statement comes after reporting by The New York Times about a February near miss at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. February: Austin airport plane incident under Federal Aviation Administration investigation A "near miss event," according to a Merriam-Webster post, refers to proximity of two objects and not the probabi...

Plan to let Texas parents use public funds to pay for private schools gets preliminary approval

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The plan to let Texas parents use public funds to pay for private schools cleared a key hurdle Thursday evening.Senate Bill 1 would allocate $500 million toward the creation of an education savings account program, which was the primary education policy request on Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda for this third special session. Texas Senate unveils its priority school voucher-like legislation The funding comes from Texas’ general revenue and would be available for eligible pre-K through 12 school-aged children. Families of eligible students would receive $8,000 each year that they are enrolled in the program in an account. In order to qualify, they must have attended public school within the last year or are about to enter pre-K or kindergarten for the first time.Texas Senators gave preliminary approval to a bill to establish an Education Savings Account program.Opponents earlier this week expressed concern that creating such a program will take away funding from public ...

Texas high school football scores for Thursday, Oct. 12

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The push for the UIL state playoffs is underway with Central Texas teams deep in district play. On Thursday night, No. 5 Vandegrift routed Round Rock 45-3 in our KBVO Game of the Week.Vandegrift had little trouble with the Dragons as the Vipers dominated in all three phases with its special teams taking center stage.Weiss rolled Thursday night, dispatching Bryan 42-13.Scores from around the KXAN viewing areaVandegrift 45, Round Rock 3Pflugerville Weiss 42, Bryan 13Scores from around Texas compiled by the Associated PressCLASS 6ACypress Fairbanks 56, Houston Northbrook 0Cypress Springs 31, Houston Langham Creek 13Duncanville 51, Mansfield 0Edinburg 41, Edinburg Economedes 16Fort Bend Bush 29, Fort Bend Elkins 10Garland Sachse 57, Garland 24Houston Stratford 42, Houston Spring Woods 2Katy Cinco Ranch 17, Katy Paetow 7Keller Fossil Ridge 35, Haltom 32Killeen Shoemaker 42, Waco 0McAllen Memorial 49, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 21PSJA 56, La Joya 7SA Northside Clark 28, SA Chu...

Youth football team and mother rally around wounded coach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Just days removed from a horrific shooting, Shaquille Latimore may soon take his first steps. The 30-year-old youth football coach is recovering after he was shot during practice Tuesday in front of his players. As he recovers from injury, Latimore was surprised Thursday by his CityRec football team, the BadBoyz.“I got your back. I got your back,” they chanted as a team in Forest Park.“Get well, coach Shaq,” one player said. Latimore coaches a team of mostly 9- and 10-year-old children. The team met with his mother, Semiko, on Thursday afternoon. She was filled with emotion at the joyful greeting, one of her few breaks from her son’s bedside.“It’s just amazing, all of the..." Semiko says and pauses as she struggles for words. "God, I can’t even talk - the outpouring of love and support that we’ve had.”Semiko showed us a picture of her son in a hospital bed following surgery. He’s holding up his thumb in a photo that she believes says it all in his recovery from surgery, ...

GOP's Scalise ends his bid to become House speaker as Republican holdouts refuse to back the nominee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Steve Scalise ended his bid to become House speaker late Thursday after hardline holdouts refused to back the party’s nominee, throwing the GOP majority into deeper chaos and leaving the chamber still unable to function.Scalise told GOP colleagues at a closed-door evening meeting of his decision and pointedly declined to announce backing for anyone else, including his chief rival, Rep. Jim Jordan, the far-right Judiciary Committee chairman backed by Donald Trump who had already told colleagues he no longer would seek the job.Next steps are uncertain as the House is essentially closed while the Republican majority tries to elect a speaker after ousting Kevin McCarthy from the job.“I just shared with my colleagues that I’m withdrawing my name as a candidate for speaker-designee,” Scalise, the House majority leader, said as he emerged from the closed-door meeting at the Capitol.Scalise, R-La., said the Republican majority still has to come together and "ope...

MSHP investigates deadly crash on I-44 near Pacific

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - One person is dead after a crash involving a passenger vehicle and a semi-truck on Interstate 44 near Pacific. The crash has led to major backups in the westbound lanes of I-44. Traffic is stalled in the area as of Thursday evening. St. Louis youth football coach recovering after shooting, suspect charged The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Additional details around the crash are limited at this time. Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area as crews look to clear it. This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available. Check FOX 2's traffic map for real-time updates.

Blues fans watch opener at Ballpark Village, excited as new season begins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Blues opened a new season Thursday with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars. A new season, however, has many fans excited. Many families gathered Thursday at Ballpark Village to watch the first game. "I think it'll be a close game," said Nick James. "Hopefully the Blues come out on top. Dallas is a good team, and they have a lot of their veteran players. So it'll be a tough battle for sure." James and other fans say there is a lot of hype surrounding the season."It's fun. They're always exciting. They play that great type of hockey. It's not the flashy, let's move around [style]. It's very skillful. Let's get the puck in deep and box bodies around and get the puck on the net type of hockey, and that's always fun to watch," said James.Even international fans are hoping to see good things from the team this year. "Not quite sure what we're going to do this year, but there is always a lot of hopes," said Jerome Avis. "We have young players and can do great...