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France, Germany join forces against migration from Tunisia in wake of latest Mediterranean tragedy

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:56 GMT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Ministers from Germany and France tasked with regulating migration are joining forces to try to curb deaths on dangerous routes across the Mediterranean Sea, traveling Sunday for talks with the president and their counterpart in Tunisia, a major North African stepping stone for migrants trying to reach Europe at risk of their lives. The two-day trip by the German and French interior ministers, Nancy Faeser and Gérald Darmanin, follows what is feared to be the deadliest migrant shipwreck in years in the Mediterranean — the capsizing last week of a fishing vessel packed with men, women and children trying to reach Italy from Libya, Tunisia’s neighbor.More than 500 migrants are presumed to have drowned in the sinking Wednesday off the southern coast of Greece that renewed criticism of Europe’s yearslong failure to prevent migration tragedies.The U.N. migration agency said it could be the second-deadliest migrant shipwreck recorded — after the April 2015 caps...

Netanyahu says Israel will move ahead on contentious judicial overhaul plan after talks crumble

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:56 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday his government intends to move ahead on contentious plans to change the country’s judicial system after talks aimed at finding a compromise solution appeared to be crumbling.The government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises ever earlier this year. Negotiations between the government and opposition parties somewhat alleviated the crisis with attempts to find a middle ground over proposed changes to the country’s justice system. Those talks were jolted last week over a crisis surrounding the powerful regular committee responsible for picking the country’s judges. Opposition leaders said negotiations were frozen until the committee is formed. At a meeting of his Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said the opposition hadn’t been negotiating in good faith and that his government would move ahead cautiously on the overhaul.“This week, we will begin ...

20 wounded, 1 fatal in shooting in Unincorporated Willowbrook: Police

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:56 GMT

UNINCOORPORATED WILLOWBROOK, Ill. -- DuPage County responded to a shooting in Unincorporated Willowbrook which sent 20 people to the hospital and left one person dead, police said. According to the Battalion Chief with the tri-state Fire protection district, at around 12:30 a.m. there was a shooting reported near Route 83 and Honeysuckle Rose Lane.The DuPage County Sheriff confirmed that 20 people were injured with gunshot wounds. At least ten people were transported to hospitals while many others self-transported. Fire officials said two victims are in critical condition. Fire also said officers applied a handful of tourniquets at the scene to the people who were wounded. Multiple shot near Lincoln Park Zoo: Chicago Police Witnesses described the scene as chaotic with people running as gunfire erupted. A motive behind the shooting is still unclear.WGN is actively investigating the incident and will update as new information is released.

Spike in ocean heat stuns scientists: Have we breached a climate tipping point?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:56 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Global oceans are so hot right now, scientists all around the world are struggling to explain the phenomenon. Sea surface temperatures in June are so far above record territory it is being deemed almost statistically impossible in a climate without global heating.This is happening across the huge expanse of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.(WFLA)In the North Atlantic Ocean — which was already way above record levels — temperatures have strikingly shot directly upward over the past two weeks.A shocking visual shared on Twitter earlier this month is prompting many to ask whether this recent surge is evidence that human-caused heating has propelled the climate past a tipping point.Luckily, climate scientists say the answer is likely no. Instead, it is much more probable to be a compounding coalescence of various factors – some natural and some human-caused. In other words, a coincidence of natural factors piled on top of the steady trend of human-caused global heati...

Traffic Alert: Northbound I-35 near Round Rock shut down following fatal crash

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:56 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Northbound lanes of Interstate 35 near Round Rock were shut down Sunday morning following a traffic fatality, according to Round Rock Police.RRPD also said the northbound I-35 frontage road by IKEA would be closed, and drivers should seek alternate routes.Earlier Sunday morning, the Texas Department of Transportation initially said all lanes of northbound I-35 at Ranch-to-Market 1431 were closed due to the crash.TxDOT said traffic was diverting to the frontage road at Westinghouse Road.This is a developing story. Check back with KXAN for updates.

Kid-friendly things to do in Central Texas this summer

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:56 GMT

CENTRAL TEXAS (KXAN) -- It doesn't *technically* need to be the summer season yet for Central Texas to feel positively tropical, with high temperatures and humidity to match.With schools out for the summer, you might be looking for ways to keep your kids occupied the next couple of months. We've got you covered: Here's a list of kid-friendly activities to beat the heat and make some summer memories this year.Take a dip in a local pool, splash padThe City of Austin is home to 45 public aquatic facilities, comprising regional, community and neighborhood pools, one wading pool, Barton Springs Pool and 11 splash pads. ICYMI: With enough lifeguards, all public pools now open in City of Austin And there's welcomed news for residents this summer: With enough lifeguards hired, all operational pools -- 32 of them, to be exact -- are now open in Austin for the first time since 2019.On June 16, Parque Zaragoza Pool was temporarily closed due to mechanical issues. City staff are working to f...

Hot and getting hotter

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Happy Father's Day from the First Warning Weather team. We expect some clearing of this morning's cloud cover with only a minimal chance for rain in the southern Hill Country this afternoon. Saturday's highs were in the mid to upper 90s at most reporting stations. Camp Mabry did not hit triple digits yesterday, peaking at 97°. That is still three degrees above normal. Today will be warmer with many at 100° and higher. Fewer clouds this afternoon will allow for the hotter numbers.A hot Father's DayThe National Weather Service has extended its heat alerts to 8 p.m. Monday. The Excessive Heat Warning is for heat index readings up to 120°. The Heat Advisory for the Hill Country is for heat index readings up to 112°.Heat Alerts extended to Monday eveningSaturday's maximum heat index ranged from 105° to 118° (La Grange). Expect these heat alerts to be extended past Monday evening with temperatures hotter on Tuesday and Wednesday.Precipitation this afternoon/early evening ...

Why do Metz Park and its attached recreation center have different names?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Off Canterbury Street in east Austin lies Metz Neighborhood Park, home to a splash pad, pool, playground, sports courts and the future home of the city's upcoming bike polo court.But despite residing on the same property, an attached recreation center doesn't go by the name "Metz" anymore -- at least, not since Austin City Council action nearly three years ago.Here's the history behind the name change and why some city properties have undergone similar alterations in recent years.The history behind Mendez Recreation Center's nameUp until a few years ago, both Metz Neighborhood Park and its attached recreation center went by the same name. However, a July 2018 report from the City of Austin's Equity Office compiled a list of monuments, streets and other city-owned facilities whose names traced back to the Confederacy. At the time, then-Metz Recreation Center was named a priority site for the city to revisit and re-evaluate. The center had been named after Hamilton M....

David McGrath: A father’s emotional roadblock

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:56 GMT

“I love you, Dad,” said Janet.She is the younger of my two daughters, and we were exchanging goodbyes at the end of a phone conversation.“Me too, Honey.”“Me, too” was pretty easy to say.  Occasionally, I have even been able to substitute, “Love you,” for good-bye, when any one of my three children is ending a visit.But why do I find it so hard to say to them, “I love you”?  Why does the English language’s tiniest pronoun weigh 2,000 pounds when I try to insert it in that sentence?My difficulty likely astounds readers in the year 2023 for whom intimacy and declarations thereof are commonplace, which I envy.Yes, I can voice the three words to my wife at the end of the day. But even with Marianne, it involves heavy lifting, such as first turning off the reading light.When speaking to the woman to whom I’ve been married for decades, “Love you,” absent the first-person subject, is way lighter and easier as I’m hanging up the phone or leaving for an overnight.Since Marianne can cut to the...

Widespread showers and storms expected Father's Day afternoon, possible spot showers Monday

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:56 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A dying complex of storms continues heading this way, but has weakened dramatically over the last hour. Showers and some storms will spread into the region Sunday. It will not be a washout, but both will become a bit more widespread Sunday afternoon. However, this still won't be the beneficial rain that we need. St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here It will be mostly cloudy and highs in the low 80s. Severe weather is not anticipated. Showers and a few storms will linger into Sunday night, gradually shifting east. Overnight lows are set in the 60s. Juneteenth will be warmer with decreasing clouds but a few spot showers or storms may develop in the afternoon. Past this, it's expected to be very warm with highs near 90 each day and rain will be hard to come by.