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Warmth to continue into October, but rain is coming

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:37:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today the warmth continues with temperatures in the low 70s giving way to mid 90s again for the afternoon. We'll average about 8-10º warmer than normal into early next week.A slim (10%) rain chance returns this afternoon and early evening for today and this weekend, but most of us miss out on these very isolated showers.Today's forecastYour Friday looks dry and mostly sunny as we stay in the mid 90s again.Both days of the weekend see the return for a spotty shower or storm, but rain chances aren't high enough to rearrange your plans over. Weekend forecastAs we head toward the middle of next week we're seeing better rain chances popping up as early as Wednesday. Eventual rain may come with a cold front that could knock highs out of the 90s into the 80s by the end of the next week.7 Day Rainfall ForecastWetter weather possible next weekWe are expecting a large trough of low pressure, a stormy weather pattern, to move onto the West Coast early next week. While it won't...

'24-hours is not the limit': Austin-area aerospace company breaks record

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:37:18 GMT

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) -- Firefly Aerospace, an end-to-end space transportation company based in Cedar Park, announced this month that they broke the record for rocket launch speed. They prepped the payload for a rocket, named Victus Nox, in 57 hours and launched that rocket in just 27 hours. The previous record, according to Firefly Aerospace, was 21 days."We had a mission that we signed up for, we accomplished that," said Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace.The company was tasked by the U.S. Space Force to prep a rocket's payload in 60-hours and complete the launch in 24-hours. The company wouldn't know when the mission would take place or what the payload would be. Firefly Aerospace completed the launch on September 14th."It has long been the desire, particularly for reasons of national security and defense and intelligence applications, to be able to responsively get to space as quickly as we possibly can," Weber said.Hurdles of speedy space flightWeber said that updating dec...

Major online platforms report on first six months under the new Code of Practice on Disinformation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:37:18 GMT

The major online platforms which are signatories of the new Code of Practice  on Disinformation of 2022 (Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok) published new reports on how they turned their commitments to reduce the spread of disinformation into practice. Available to download on the Transparency Centre, the documents show further efforts by signatories to enhance transparency and provide relevant data. Having committed to report every six months, this is the first set of reporting that covers a full half-year period.Values and Transparency Vice President Věra Jourová said: “Disinformation is still one of the greatest risks to the European democratic information space, including that related to Russia's war in Ukraine and elections. As Europeans will prepare to head to polling stations in 2024, all actors must do their part in fighting online disinformation and foreign interference to protect our online debate. The Code proves to be a useful exercise, but we all have to do more. I call f...

Horoscopes Sept. 28, 2023: Hilary Duff, approach life and love with passion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:37:18 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Hilary Duff, 36; Ranbir Kapoor, 41; Mira Sorvino, 56; Janeane Garofalo, 59.Happy Birthday: Size up your situation and devise a plan that utilizes what you know and do best. Changing your financial situation is possible but requires monitoring for safety due to temptation and scams. When in doubt, refer to an expert, but don’t give anyone control. Pay attention to health, fitness and proper nutrition, and approach life and love with passion and a positive attitude. Your numbers are 5, 12, 19, 27, 38, 42, 45.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Hone your skills and reinforce what you want to achieve. A clear mind and set goal will encourage you to put your strengths to work for you and to pursue what makes you feel passionate. Don’t clutter your plans with someone else’s demands. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Use your imagination to discover how to entice your peers to accept your ideas and plans. Don’t hesitate to spotlight the intricaci...

Word Game: Sept. 28, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:37:18 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — FLOTSAM (FLOTSAM: FLOT-sum: Floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo; floating debris.)Average mark 24 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 29 or more words in FLOTSAM? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — PANCAKES pace pack paean pancake pane peak pecan peck acne apace apnea apse askance aspen nape neap neck cake canape cane cape case cask sack sake sane sank scan scape snack snake snap sneak space span spank speak spec speckTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are ...

Bridge: Sept. 28, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:37:18 GMT

I used to read a bridge column written by someone who had pet phrases he worked overtime. (“The play at 3NT left something to be desired: namely, nine tricks.”) A favorite was “Darkness descended on declarer.”At today’s four spades, South won the first heart, drew trumps and exited with a heart. East took the king and led a low club, and the defenders were able to take three clubs.When did darkness descend on declarer?FIRST TRICKThe lights went out at Trick One. South must duck West’s queen of hearts. He wins the next heart (no West would shift to the king of clubs), leads a diamond to dummy, ruffs the last heart high, leads a diamond to dummy and ruffs a diamond high.South then draws trumps with the A-10 and leads a club. West can take the jack and king, but then he must lead a red card for a fatal ruff-sluff.An end play is South’s best chance. East has the king of hearts, and if he had the A-K of clubs and maybe a diamond honor, he might h...

Ask Amy: I’m not a morning person, and she won’t respect my boundaries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:37:18 GMT

Dear Amy: I am the only “not-morning” person in my family.Talking in the morning, or any noise, smell or stimulation really, isn’t just annoying but actually more akin to painful. It’s like nails on a chalkboard, or being pinched – it elicits an involuntary reaction of cringe and a desire to retreat.My mother takes this really personally.First thing in the morning she wants to tell me things or, worse, ask me things. At best, I can muster a “good morning” and a grunt, but I don’t think she’s ever understood just how much restraint is required for anything other than a snarl.She’s repeatedly accused me of being rude or mad at her, and the simple truth is that it’s not her – I just don’t want to talk in the morning, at all, to anybody.I have been explaining this for years, and to be honest I actually feel she’s being rude for not respecting this simple boundary.It starts both our days off wrong, to the extent that I just stay in my room until she...

They Promised “Advanced Recycling” for Plastics and Delivered Toxic Waste

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:37:18 GMT

Head south on state Highway 96, past a stretch of soybean crops and tobacco fields, and you’ll arrive in Zebulon, North Carolina, population 8,665. There, on a quiet stretch of Industrial Drive, sits a nondescript commercial building. It’s easy to miss; the name on the front door is barely legible. But atop that humble three-acre lot lies a leading solution to the global plastic pollution crisis — well, according to the plastic industry.The facility is home to the 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week operations of Braven Environmental, a company that says it can recycle nearly 90 percent of plastic waste through a form of chemical recycling called pyrolysis. Traditional recycling is able to process only about 8.7 percent of America’s plastic waste; pyrolysis uses high temperatures and low-oxygen conditions to break down the remaining plastics, like films and Styrofoam, ideally turning them into feedstock oil for new plastic production.The American Chemistry Council, the country’s lead...

Child Care at a Crossroads: COVID pandemic exacerbated decline in DC-area child care facilities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:37:18 GMT

The number of child care providers, especially in-home child care providers, was on a steady decline before the pandemic. But the pandemic only exacerbated the problem, driving some out of business while dissuading others from starting new child care businesses, since no one wanted extra people inside their homes.In 2021, the federal government set aside $24 billion in stabilization funding to help keep child care providers in business. But those funds expire this weekend, and finding more money or another solution remains in the discussion stage at a time when providers say action is needed.Too much asked of staff, for too little pay“Staffing is a big problem,” said Anabela Rodas, who operates a licensed day care center from her home in Aspen Hill. “Hiring people and then retaining people, because this profession does not pay a lot. But the requirements are high, because we want quality child care. We want teachers. This is not babysitter service.”In Maryland, the list of regulatio...

Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci hopes Union Berlin success will lay path for Euro 2024 finale

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:37:18 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci is hoping his “crazy decision” to join Union Berlin pays off at the European Championship next year.The 36-year-old Bonucci, who joined Union from Italian giant Juventus on the last day of the summer transfer window, aims to end his international career on a high when Italy defends its title at Euro 2024.Germany will host the tournament and Bonucci has arrived in the country a whole season before his potential teammates after choosing to leave Italy’s Serie A for the first time.It wasn’t his first choice. Bonucci initially wanted to see out the remaining year of his contract at Juventus, where he made more than 500 appearances, but coach Massimiliano Allegri told the player he was no longer wanted. Bonucci sent a legal notice to the club after being excluded from preseason training.Union and Italian club Lazio offered a way out. Bonucci opted for the former — a team that was only promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in 2019 — de...