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How the green plant growing on Lady Bird Lake is beneficial to its habitat

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:20:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thousands of paddleboarders and kayakers are expected to float on Lady Bird Lake for the Fourth of July.If you’ve looked at the lake lately, you may have wondered what’s growing out on the water?From all sides of the surface, large green plant patches paint the waterways.According to the Austin Watershed Protection Department, these pervasive plants are Cabomba Caroliniana, also known as fanwort.Brent Bellinger is the department’s conservation program supervisor.“The growth really gets going in the summer and the plant is kind of living its best life right now in these warm waters,” he said.Bellinger said the plant lives in Austin’s waterways year-round. Yet, it grows a lot larger in the summer. What is growing in Lady Bird Lake? “This is a plant that can get 15 feet tall,” he said. “If you're in five feet of water, there's going to be a lot more biomass at the surface.”Berezi Fenix got tangled in it, while kayaking under the Barton Springs Bridge.“I’ve been seeing...

‘Good Morning America’ visits Stillwater, honors business owner and community booster

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:20:15 GMT

‘Good Morning America’ surprised a Stillwater business owner and community booster during their broadcast Monday morning.The ABC morning show kicked off a weeklong series — traveling through American main streets — with its stop in the Washington County river town.Residents from across Minnesota poured into downtown Stillwater early Monday, carrying signs saying “Mainstreet U.S.A,” “This is our home” and “We heart MN!”GMA hosts Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and Michael Strahan weren’t in attendance, but ABC News correspondent Alex Perez was broadcasting live.“Stillwater, Minnesota has one of the most amazing, beautiful main streets across America,” Perez said, “You’ve been here once or a million times, it always feels like home.”What happened next came as a surprise to viewers and attendees.Perez turned to the crowd and asked for Sara Jespersen, the owner of the Lumberjack and Mad ...

Wildlife Museum opens new addition

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:20:15 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Wildlife Museum in Amsterdam opened a new edition Jul. 1, 2023. The new building has hundreds of animals from Africa and North America. Robert Kazmierski, director of the museum, said the exhibit took five years to curate and he hopes the museum can provide an educational opportunity for students who are on summer break. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! “They can see the sizes of these animals standing right next to them, take some great pictures," Kazmierski said. "Take this back to the schools and see if they can do some field trips here.” Kazmierski said the work is not over yet, he is also working on putting together a research library.

Colorado tells doctors: Keep seeing patients covered by Friday Health Plans

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:20:15 GMT

Some Colorado doctors have refused to see patients covered by the nearly defunct insurer Friday Health, but state officials are trying to reassure them they will get paid.The parent company Friday Health Plans, which is based in Alamosa, experienced a rapid decline this year as multiple states announced they wouldn’t allow the company to sell any more policies or had placed it into receivership, meaning they took control of any assets in their own state’s subsidiary to ensure claims were paid.Friday, which sold insurance in seven states including Colorado, won’t be available anywhere in 2024.The Colorado Division of Insurance said the Colorado-specific branch of the company has enough funds to continue paying claims this year. If claims were to exceed its funds, however, the state’s Life and Health Insurance Protection Association would pay out up to $500,000 for each Friday member’s care. The association collects fees from member companies, and state l...

The wait for U.S. passports is creating travel purgatory and snarling summer plans

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:20:15 GMT

WASHINGTON — Seeking a valid U.S. passport for that 2023 trip? Buckle up, wishful traveler, for a very different journey before you step anywhere near an airport.A much-feared backup of U.S passport applications has smashed into a wall of government bureaucracy as worldwide travel rebounds toward record pre-pandemic levels — with too few humans to handle the load. The result, say aspiring travelers in the U.S. and around the world, is a maddening pre-travel purgatory defined, at best, by costly uncertainty.With family dreams and big money on the line, passport seekers describe a slow-motion agony of waiting, worrying, holding the line, refreshing the screen, complaining to Congress, paying extra fees and following incorrect directions. Some applicants are buying additional plane tickets to snag in-process passports where they sit — in other cities — in time to make the flights they booked in the first place.So grim is the outlook that U.S. officials aren’t even den...

Suspect arrested following violent assault video in Baldwin Park

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:20:15 GMT

A suspect seen on video punching a man in Baldwin Park last month was arrested over the weekend, authorities said.The incident occurred around 7:23 a.m. on Saturday, June 24, according to the surveillance video posted to the Baldwin Park Police Department's Instagram page. The video showed the victim walking past a parked vehicle when the suspect, identified by police as Manuel Alejandro Valenzuela, jumped out of the passenger side of the vehicle and punched him in the head. An assault suspect is seen in an image provided by the Baldwin Park Police Department on July, 2, 2023. The victim quickly got up and was punched again by the attacker as he was putting his hat back on. The victim didn't go down after the second punch and put his hands up in an apparent attempt to defend himself from any further attacks when the video cuts off. Manuel Alejandro Valenzuela is seen in this image provided by the Baldwin Park Police Department on July 2, 2023. Valenzuela was arrested on suspicion of...

Man shot to death near Palmdale intersection, LASD says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:20:15 GMT

An investigation is underway after a man was shot to death in Palmdale early Monday morning.The attack was reported at about 4:45 a.m., when deputies responded to the intersection of 75th Street and Avenue W, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a news release. There, they found an adult man who'd been shot at least one time. He was declared dead at the scene.The man's name and age have not yet been released, nor has any information about the shooter or shooters.Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org. 

End of the World as we Know it: Black Mirror, Dead City, Secret Invasion, Reviewed

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:20:15 GMT

Streaming services, cable TV and Primetime television are fighting for your viewership now more than ever. UNBINGED is here to help you weed through it all, with reviews of the latest shows that highlight what we love, what we hate and what we love to hate-watch, too. Climate crisis, food insecurity, political corruption and unrest … the end of the world has never seemed closer. And what better way to capitalize on this growing fear than on TV? From global annihilation via the undead and alien invasion to technology’s terrifying and very real takeover of humanity, small screen shows are playing on our fears for entertainment’s sake, and finding big audiences doing so. This week, UnBinged examines apocalyptic TV shows Black Mirror, Walking Dead: Dead City and Secret Invasion, and tells you what’s worthy of your precious time on earth.Black Mirror- Season 6 (“Streamberry”)After a long hiatus in which real life seemed to use previous seasons as a playbook, Black Mirror returns to Netfl...

Jill On Money: Mid-year money

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:20:15 GMT

It’s officially summer, which means you might be tempted to shut down and drown out anything financial. Not so fast.Related ArticlesBusiness | Need-based financial aid: What it is and how to qualify Business | Did the pandemic make us worse drivers? Business | What if you can’t afford long-term care? Business | Should you financially support adult kids? Business | Shopping on social media the smart way You may not be able to control inflation, the path of the economy, or the direction of financial markets, but there are many areas where a little attention can reap great benefits.Beware of ‘junk fees’The Biden Administration has called for companies to end “junk fees,” which are designed either to confuse or deceive consumers.They range from bank overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees, credit card late payment fees, hotel resort fees, airline baggage and change fees, service fees added to the...

Alameda County: 1 dead, 2 injured after struggle between law enforcement and alleged car thieves

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:20:15 GMT

ALAMEDA COUNTY — One man died and two others were injured early Monday morning after a struggle in which an alleged car thief attempted to disarm a law enforcement officer in unincorporated Alameda County, according to the county’s sheriff’s office.In a news conference Monday morning, a spokesperson with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said a CHP officer was responding to a report of a stolen car out of Hayward that was found speeding on eastbound Interstate 580.The officer was following the car when it exited on 164th Avenue and later crashed. Three suspects, all wearing ski masks, then left the vehicle on foot, according to the sheriff’s office.When an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy arrived to assist the CHP officer, they saw the CHP officer on their back, fighting two of the suspects. One of the suspects appeared to be attempting to disarm the officer, the sheriff’s office said.“Shots were fired,” Lt. Tya Modeste said in the ea...