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Tuesday Forecast: Temps in mid 80s with isolated afternoon showers

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:52 GMT

CHICAGO — Mostly sunny start Tuesday with a few light showers possible. Increasing PM clouds. Winds: SE/E 5-15 mph. High 86, near 80 lakeside.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Partly to mostly cloudy skies tonight. Winds: ESE 5-10 mph. Low 68.Wednesday Forecast: Partly sunny with a chance of showers/t-storms. Winds: SSE 5-15 MPH. High 87, no lakeside cooling effect. Extended outlook calls for warm and muggy weather to continue into Thursday with highs an even better shot for possible showers/t'storms with highs in the upper 80s.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Here's what's coming to Netflix in August

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:52 GMT

Zombies, documentaries, Gal Gadot and moreAs the summer winds down, the temperature is not the only thing heating up this August. Netflix is releasing an exhilarating lineup of shows that feature everything from A-list actors to zombies. This month, you get Gal Gadot, Matthew Broderick, stories about the indefatigable drive of the human spirit, zombies and more. So turn on your television, fire up that soundbar and get ready to end the summer with this sizzling slate of sublime streaming fare.The top August Netflix releasesNetflix is continuing its run as the must-subscribe streaming service this summer. Over the past couple of months, the impressive lineup has included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris Hemsworth, Amy Schumer, Adam DeVine, Pierce Brosnan and more. And the momentum isn't slowing down. Netflix has a bevy of blockbuster-sized content to keep you on the edge of your couch throughout the rest of the summer. NetflixFirst up, it's an unflinching look at the rise, the fall and t...

Lawmakers decry 'political' decision to keep Space Command HQ in Colorado

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – The Biden administration announced the United States Space Command headquarters will stay in Colorado rather than move to Alabama – a move some politicians are calling political.Those accusations come from Alabama lawmakers who believe the decision may be tied to the fight over abortion rights, but the Biden administration says it's simply the best decision for military readiness.“It's a great day for Colorado Springs but it's also a great day for the citizens of the United States,” former Colorado Springs mayor, John Suthers, said.The Biden administration announced the U.S. Space Command headquarters will stay in Colorado, overturning an effort by former President Donald Trump to move the headquarters to Alabama.“It is clear this final decision is in the best interest of our national security and is the most responsible use of our taxpayer dollars,” Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said.Federal officials say the decision is an objective one that is best f...

Henrietta Lacks family settles suit over use of cells taken without consent

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:52 GMT

(The Hill) - The descendants of Henrietta Lacks said Tuesday they had agreed to a settlement with biotechnology company Thermo Fisher over the use of cells taken from their ancestor without her permission for scientific research by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital.The details of the settlement remain confidential, but Lacks’s grandchildren, who were part of the lawsuit, seemed pleased with the agreement — announced on what would have been Lacks’s 103rd birthday. “There couldn’t have been a more fitting day for her to have justice, for her family to have relief,” Henrietta's grandson Alfred Lacks Carter Jr. said, according to The Associated Press. “It was a long fight — over 70 years — and Henrietta Lacks gets her day.”The Lacks family sued Thermo Fisher in 2021 for profiting from what they called a racist medical system.The cells taken from Lacks, who was Black, became the source of the HeLa cell line, the first human cells to be successfully cloned and a critical development ...

Houston mayor blasts superintendent's plan to turn some school libraries into disciplinary centers

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:52 GMT

HOUSTON (KIAH) – About 28 schools in Houston will be starting the next school year with something missing: their librarians.Mike Miles, the new state-appointed superintendent of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), recently announced that certain schools in the district will repurpose their libraries as disciplinary centers, Nexstar's KIAH previously reported. Librarian roles within those schools have also been eliminated.The program is also reportedly targeting underperforming schools primarily located in low- and middle-income areas, NewsNation reported.News of the change was denounced by dozens of leaders in the Houston area, including elected officials and religious leaders, according to the office of Mayor Sylvester Turner. Book ban list: These 13 titles are targeted most In a press conference Monday, Turner address community concerns."We can all agree that grades and academic achievement must improve at all of our schools and there are students who need remedial h...

How does Amazon Clinic work?

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:52 GMT

Amazon is adding video telemedicine visits in all 50 states to a virtual clinic it launched last fall as the e-commerce giant pushes deeper into care delivery.Amazon said Tuesday that customers can visit its virtual clinic around the clock through Amazon’s website or app. There, they can compare prices and response times before picking a telemedicine provider from several options.The clinic, which doesn’t accept insurance, launched last fall with a focus on text message-based consultations. Those remain available in 34 states.Virtual care, or telemedicine, exploded in popularity when COVID-19 hit a few years ago. It has remained popular as a convenient way to check in with a doctor or deal with relatively minor health issues like pink eye.Amazon says its clinic offers care for more than 30 common health conditions. Those include sinus infections, acne, COVID-19 and acid reflux. The clinic also offers treatments for motion sickness, seasonal allergies and several sexual hea...

Grass fires closes portion of SH 130 in Pflugerville

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:52 GMT

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) -- Northbound State Highway 130 was shut down Tuesday morning due to two grass fires near the road, the Pflugerville Police Department and Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 said.The fires are along SH 130 between State Highway 45 and County Road 138, Travis County ESD No. 2 said. The highway is closed beginning at Kelly Lane. Traffic near the fire is being moved to the service road, police said. Travis County ESD No. 2, Hutto Fire Rescue and Williamson County ESD No. 10 firefighters responded to the fires, Travis County ESD No. 2 said.Drivers are being asked to find different routes, if possible.This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.

City of Austin employees' telework policy extended, return to office set for new year

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Interim City Manager Jesús Garza delayed the timeline of a telework policy that requires city of Austin employees to work in the office at least three days a week. The policy will now start Jan. 1 of next year. It originally would have required non-executive employees to return to the office three days a week starting Oct. 1. The policy required all executive employees to return full time on June 5. This comes after the union for City of Austin and Travis County employees received many calls from upset employees and a May protest against the policy. "We understand employees must make family arrangements and this additional time provides an opportunity to make those changes," a city spokesperson said in a statement. RELATED: City of Austin employees to return to the office, union not on board A letter posted on the union's website called the change "progress," adding "One of our main objections was that the city manager was rushing the development of this policy."T...

Water restrictions evident for Williamson County as lake levels decrease, says water supplier

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:52 GMT

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A water supplier to multiple cities in Williamson County said it anticipates moving a step higher in its drought contingency plan later this week amid the ongoing heat.The Brazos River Authority oversees water from multiple Texas reservoirs, including Lake Georgetown and Stillhouse Hollow Lake. The agency provides water for the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District, Round Rock and Georgetown.Aaron Abel, BRA water services manager, said the agency anticipates implementing Stage 2 water restrictions this Friday in accordance with its drought contingency plan. This requires customers to reduce water use by 10%."What we need to do is try to extend the supplies, extend the water that's in the reservoir as long as possible," Abel said.Abel attributed the restrictions to the water-evaporating heat, lack of rain, water consumption, and lower lake levels in Lake Georgetown and Stillhouse Hollow Lake.Water Data for Texas shows that Lake Georgetown is just o...

Support varies for Austin's proposed Equity, Civil Rights offices merger

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:52 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for Aug. 1, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The League of United Latin American Citizens' Austin District is throwing its support behind a new budget proposal from Austin's Interim City Manager Jesús Garza to merge together the city's Small and Minority Business Resources Department with its Equity and Civil Rights offices -- a proposal that has concerned some city advocates.Among its reasonings, LULAC highlighted that the city's Equity Office "has not seen the progress and expectations being met as envisioned," noting in a Tuesday release the departure of the head of the Equity Office in 2022. RELATED: Group concerned power being stripped from Austin’s Equity Office Regarding the Office of Civil Rights, LULAC's release pointed to a 2021 investigation that found six OCR employees had filed a complaint against the OCR director, alleging "abusive, exploitative, unprofessional, and retaliatory management style and personal beh...