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Giant seaweed bloom's beaching begins, expected to worsen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Bits of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt – a 5,000-mile-wide seaweed bloom – have started to wash up in Florida, but we're likely months away from peak activity, researchers said Sunday. While clouds over the Atlantic made it harder to monitor the seaweed bloom's growth last month, satellite images showed currents and wind pushing the seaweed accumulation west, said the report from University of South Florida (USF) researchers. "Record Sargassum abundance" – an estimated 3 million tons – was seen in the Caribbean Sea, the report said. The southern coasts of the islands Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico started to see "notable buildups" toward the end of April. Seaweed bloom reaches record size: ‘Major beaching events are inevitable’ Some seaweed has also started to beach in Southeastern Florida, the university researchers said. Photos (below) show piles of the algae starting to accumulate on beaches in Fort Lauderdale, and videos posted by Fox Weather show it pili...

Cat that loves Taylor Swift music up for adoption

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT

SALEM, Mass. (WPRI) — Calling all Swifties!If you're a Taylor Swift fan and looking for someone to jam out with, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals may have the perfect cat for you.The 1-year-old black and white domestic shorthair came to the East Coast from Texas earlier this month.The cat was originally named "Screamer," according to the MSPCA, because he "likes to speak loudly when he's nervous or excited."A Taylor Swift Fan (left) snuggles with his friend Peanut Butter Jelly. (right) (Courtesy: MSPCA-Angell)The cat didn't start to calm down until staffers at the Northeast Animal Shelter started listening to Swift's "Midnights" album while cleaning.The staff decided to rename the cat "A Taylor Swift Fan" after his favorite music, and so far, he's living up to his name. The MSPCA hopes "once he's adopted, he never ever gets back together with the shelter." No Mow May: Debate over skipping yard care divides neighbors Since A Taylor Swift Fan is t...

New parking meters, price increase in effect at Zilker Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's going to cost you more to visit one of the most popular parks in Austin.The last couple of free parking lots within Zilker Park will soon have parking meters. Some of the lots have already charged people to park. PAST COVERAGE: Zilker Park adding new pay stations, increasing prices for parking New parking meters are up near Stratford Drive, north of Zilker Botanical Garden, and in the south Barton Springs Pool lot near Azie Morton Road.Another big change is the cost. The price to park all day at Zilker will increase Monday, May 1, from $5 to $7. The city started installing meters in 2016 but stopped short of installing them in every lot. That is until they ran into a problem.A spokesperson for the Austin Parks and Recreation Department said, "Since that time, parking challenges in these two lots have increased, leading to a need for consistency across the park for parking."The city wants to keep parking rules consistent throughout the area.When will you have ...

Texas ranks No. 1 in heat-related pet deaths

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Averaging 15 days of 100° or hotter a year, Austin is no stranger to dangerous heat. In fact, 90° weather typically begins at the end of May, marking the start of a long three-plus months of uncomfortable heat.Now while humans can be proactive in staying cool when the thermometers rise, pets rely on their owners for safety in extreme heat.Meteorologist Kristen Currie spoke with Lily Velez with Veterinarians.org to discuss some of the reasons Texas sees more heat-related pet deaths than any other state. Tips: Keeping your pets cool during hot Texas summers Below is a transcript of their discussion. Edits have been made for clarity.Kristen Currie, KXAN News: We have some troubling news when it comes to heat-related pet deaths here in Texas. Joining me today to talk about that from Veterinarians.org is Lily Velez. Lily, let's start with this study that you guys were a part of. When it comes to Texas -- how do we rank among other states?Lily Velez, Veterinarians.org: ...

World’s workers, squeezed by inflation, rally on May Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT

PARIS — People squeezed by inflation and demanding economic justice took to the streets across Asia and Europe to mark May Day on Monday, in a global outpouring of worker discontent not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic sent the world into lockdowns.French police charged at radical protesters smashing bank windows as unions pushed the president to scrap a higher retirement age. South Koreans pleaded for higher wages. Spanish lawyers demanded the right to take days off. Migrant domestic workers in Lebanon marched in a country plunged in economic crisis.While May Day is marked around the world on May 1 as a celebration of labor rights, this year’s rallies tapped into broader frustrations. Climate activists spraypainted a Louis Vuitton museum in Paris, and protesters in Germany demonstrated against violence targeting women and LGBTQ+ people.Celebrations were forced indoors in Pakistan and tinged with political tensions in Turkey, as both countries face high-stakes elections...

Review: Creators of ‘Glensheen’ take on Jesse James in fun History Theatre musical

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT

Sometimes you have to expose a historical figure for the awful person they were. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun doing it.That’s the approach undertaken by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher and composer Chan Poling in creating “The Defeat of Jesse James,” a new musical that premiered this weekend at St. Paul’s History Theatre. It examines a 19th-century outlaw who became a folk legend — and has been portrayed in a positive light by many a piece of popular culture — and makes clear that his life didn’t offer much worth admiring.But this strong stand against historical revisionism is rooted in the rock and roll aesthetic, loaded with laughter, and told from the perspective of one outlandish character after another. It carries on a very appealing recent tradition at History Theatre, throwing together rock music and comedy to tell stories of Minnesota’s past, something Hatcher and Poling did with the enormously successful “Glensheen,” followed by Mark Jensen and Gary Rue w...

Lake George restaurant closes, owners focusing on other venture

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- 10 McGillis Public House, located at 10 McGillis Avenue in Lake George, has permanently closed as of Sunday, April 30. Owners Jason and Nicole Travis made the announcement in a Facebook post on April 28. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "We would like to give a huge thank you to all of our amazing guests over the years," said the owners. "10 McGillis Public House has been a labor of love for us and we couldn’t have done it without our fantastic staff and wonderful guests."The Travis' also own The Brasserie & Tavern on the Bay in the former View Restaurant at Dunham's Bay Resort at 2999 Route 9L. With a bigger kitchen and dining space, the owners said they will now be focusing on this restaurant inside the newly renamed Bayside Resort. Capital Region chain offering chance to win ‘free burritos for a year’ 10 McGillis opened in October 2019 as a farm-to-table restaurant. After The View Resta...

Travel advisory for Canajoharie starting May 16

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT

CANAJOHARIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Starting Tuesday, May 16, State Route 5S between Chruch Street and Thruway Exit 29 in Canajoharie will be closed for roughly one month for bridge work, according to the New York State Department of Transportation. Drivers will be directed to detour through Fultonville using State Routes 5 and 5S. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Thruway traffic from Canajoharie, which includes Rute 10, will be directed to Thruway exits 28 (Fultonville/Fonda) and 29A (Little Falls). Drivers are urged to slow down and drive responsibly in work zones.Speeding fines are doubled in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of a driver's license.

Capital Region chain offering chance to win 'free burritos for a year'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT

PITTFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) -- Hot Harry's Fresh Burritos is having a Cinco de Mayo celebration from May 1 to May 7. The chain has four locations in the Capital Region and Massachusetts: one in North Greenbush, two in Pittsfield and one in Dalton. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Customers at each location have a chance to win a free burrito each week for a year. Throughout the week, customers can enter to win and 10 winners will be chosen per store. Overall, that's 3,120 free burritos to be given away over the year. On May 5, the first 100 customers at each location will also get a limited-edition Hot Harry’s Cinco de Mayo t-shirt."We are excited to continue this popular Cinco de Mayo promotion and by allowing sign-ups for the giveaway throughout the week, we hope many of our loyal customers get the chance to win so we can say ‘thank you’ for a wonderful year,” said Samir Abdallah, President of Hot Harry’s Fresh Burritos. G...

Officers called to Old North Academy after shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Officers have been called to the Confluence Academy school in Old North St. Louis for a report of a shooting at around 9 a.m. The scene appears to be calm, but Bommarito Automotive SkyFOX Helicopter captured images of students being moved from one building to another.Police tell FOX 2 that a woman was accidentally shot in the foot. The shooting appears to be self-inflicted. The shooting may not be directly involved with the school. Mike Shannon, longtime Cardinals radio broadcaster, dies at 83 Many police vehicles can be seen parked near the school on North 13th Street. Investigators are out of their vehicles and on campus.This is a developing story. More details will be posted here as they come into the FOX 2 Newsroom.