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Hills near Lake Travis pose firefighting challenges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:31 GMT

LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) -- So far, the Lake Travis area has been predominantly spared of devastating wildfires this year. Still, crews are constantly at the ready. "So I'm normally a 40-hour workweek. But with the conditions as they are, I've packed 3-5 days' worth of clothes because there's a good chance I'm not going home," Lake Travis Fire Rescue Assistant Chief of Operations Michael Prather said, holding a suitcase. "The men and women of the fire service know it's that time of year where we kind of have to put plans aside and serve our community." MAP: More than 2,800 acres have burned in Central Texas wildfires this year In the Lake Travis area, the wildfire concern extends beyond worries about dry vegetation."With our topography, we have a lot of rolling hills that are hard to get to with brush trucks. So when a fire kindles out in some of these canyons and hills it takes us a while to get down to and get to them, it can move rapidly," Prather said. He also said the department...

Nassau County men sentenced for Schenectady kidnapping

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:31 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Three people were sentenced for their role in a kidnapping in Schenectady two years ago. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The Rensselaer County District Attorney's Office said Dwayne Henderson and Danny Harrell were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Dieago Harrell was sentenced to 10 years in prison.The three suspects, who are from Long Island, were convicted in May of Attempted Murder and Kidnapping charges. Prosecutors said they abducted another man outside a Schenectady home, held him captive for 24 hours, and beat him because of claims that the victim stole drugs.

Amsterdam officials moving forward with Veteran's Park safety plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:31 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Amsterdam officials are moving forward with plans to improve safety at Veteran's Park. The mayor said the city has a plan in place for increased police patrols and hopes to submit bids for surveillance cameras this week. The city engineer is also working on a proposal to build a new parking lot for the basketball courts. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The city is looking to improve safety after two shots fired incidents this summer: one during a basketball tournament and another during a family movie night.Neither event was specifically targeted but both shootings let to safety concerns from neighbors.

With CU Buffs debut approaching, Jimmy Horn Jr. shining in camp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:31 GMT

Asked to go to the podium for a post-practice interview Monday, Colorado’s Jimmy Horn Jr. missed an opportunity to work with an all-time great.Luckily, Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens is planning to spend the whole week in Boulder to hang with the Buffaloes.“Having T.O. here, he actually gets to sit and observe and watch us play and then he gets to criticize our game, but in a good way and help us out in a good way,” Horn said.A six-time Pro Bowler, Owens is third in NFL history in career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and eighth in receptions. He’s also a friend of CU head coach Deion Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback.For Horn, having Owens around will be an opportunity to build on what has already been a good offseason.Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens, left, talks with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at Buffaloes practice on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Boulder, Colo. (University of Colorado Athletics)“Love Jimmy Horn,” CU...

Five weeknight tomato dishes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:31 GMT

By Emily Weinstein, The New York TimesJuicy, acidic and sun-warmed sweet, a perfect summer tomato is a blessing. (A less perfect tomato is fine, if a little dull; a wan out-of-season tomato is to be avoided.) I eat tomatoes every day in August, sometimes at every meal. That’s why it’s Tomato Week here at Five Weeknight Dishes, with recipes that feature tomatoes: I can hardly think of anything else.1. Grated Tomato PastaIt’s tough to highlight peak summer tomatoes in pasta. To make the most out of their bright flavor, summer tomatoes should be minimally cooked. This recipe gently warms the fruit, so they keep their acidity and succulence. Since the tomato hasn’t had the liquid cooked out, it doesn’t cling to the spaghetti the way a cooked pomodoro would, but this keeps the dish light and bright, and makes it perfect for a hot summer day. Be sure to serve with plenty of bread to sop up the cheesy sauce that is left behind at the bottom of the bowl. If juicy, ripe tomatoes aren’t aroun...

51-year-old man dies while in custody of L.A. police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:31 GMT

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating after a 51-year-old man booked into the 77th Street Jail for outstanding warrants and a substance that appeared to be methamphetamine died while in custody, authorities announced on Monday.  Plain clothes narcotics detectives from LAPD’s 77th Street Division detained Gardena resident Derrick Harden on July 14 near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and 71st Street. During their investigation, police said they discovered that Harden was in possession of “a crystalline substance resembling methamphetamine” and that he had two outstanding warrants for his arrest.  He was booked into the 77th Street Jail and at around 5:30 p.m., was examined by medical staff at the facility's dispensary, who determined that he would require medical treatment for exposure to meth and a preexisting condition, an LAPD news release stated. The 51-year-old was then taken to a local hospital and examined by emergency room physicians who medically cl...

SF Giants’ call-up of Wade Meckler only the latest chapter in outfield prospect’s storybook journey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:31 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Wade Meckler’s storybook journey has quickly flipped chapter after chapter since being drafted by the Giants last July out of Oregon State. It reached its latest stage Monday, as the onetime walk-on became the first player from the 2022 draft class outside the Angels organization to reach the majors.Thirteen months after the Giants drafted him in the eighth round, the 23-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder made his major league debut in center field, batting second batting second against Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow in the club’s first of three games against Tampa Bay.“I wasn’t expecting to be here,” Meckler said after arriving in the clubhouse Monday afternoon, “but I was expecting to hit.”And hit, he has.And hit. And hit. And hit.Moving through five levels of the minor leagues, Meckler has a career .377/.472/.527 batting line over 92 professional games, a .999 OPS. He hit .439 in A-ball, .456 at High-A, .336 at Double-A an...

FBI-led task force targeting major Bay Area fentanyl operation underway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:31 GMT

OAKLAND — An FBI law enforcement task force has thus far seized at least 14 pounds of fentanyl and $28,000 in cash, and arrested a 29-year-old man believed to be a supplier to other Bay Area dealers who sell the deadly drug by the ounce, according to multiple law enforcement sources.The FBI Safe Streets task force operation has focused on the East Bay, with an eye on arresting people who are supplying drug dealers in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, according to court records. In addition to the fentanyl, authorities one pound of cocaine, six ounces of heroin, three ounces of methamphetamine, and an unregistered firearm, authorities said.On Aug. 7, task force members arrested 29-year-old Elvin Melendez-Cruz, at the Bay Breeze Inn, where he’d apparently been staying for weeks. Authorities kept on seeing his recognizable Mercedes Benz parked at the hotel, and on July 19, a group of agents with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation say th...

Could California’s powerline strategy have saved Maui?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:31 GMT

As Hawaii’s electric utility faces scrutiny for active power lines that fell in high winds during last week’s catastrophic fires, Pacific Gas & Electric says it’s prepared to cut the power as a precaution to prevent wildfires in California this fire season.Its customers could see four “public safety power shutoffs” in the coming months, the utility said, darkening the homes of an estimated 320,000 homes and businesses.The intentional cutoff — while unpopular with residents — is expected to lower the risk posed by power lines by 94% this year, up from 90% last year, PG&E officials said at a recent meeting of the California Public Utility Commission. The forecast is an average, based on computer models, the current grid and a decade-long historical analysis.Recent improvements in the so-called PSPS strategy will make the outages “shorter, smaller and smarter” than in previous years, said Dave Canny, senior director of wildfire mitigation at PG&E.The...

Review: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X meshes comfort with performance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:31 GMT

SteelSeries headsets have always been a blind spot for me. I’ve reviewed Logitech, HyperX, EPOS and Turtle Beach brands, but I’ve never had a chance to use a set of cans from the Danish manufacturer. That changed at a preview event this year, where I donned a SteelSeries Nova 1 and fell in love.Two elements stood out the most. The first was the comfort. The headset felt light and the ear cup cushions were surprisingly supple. The second was the sound, which emitted clear and bright audio. How did I miss out on this for so long? If the more affordable headsets in the line were this good, I was intrigued about the possibilities of the higher-end products.That’s why I couldn’t help but be excited when SteelSeries sent over its Arctis Nova 7X for review. The Xbox version of its midrange headset offers more bells and whistles but maintains the form factor that attracted me originally.LIGHTWEIGHT AND COMFORTABLE The Nova 7X weighs in at 325 grams, which is surprisi...