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Hundreds flee drug cartel turf battles in rural western Mexico

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:25 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Gun battles between drug cartels forced about 700 people to flee their rural villages in the western Mexico state of Michoacan, activists and a local priest said Friday. Rev. Jorge Armando Vázquez said dozens of people are sleeping in the nave of a parish church in the hamlet of El Rosario, on the outskirts of the city of Apatzingan. Hundreds of others are sheltering with local families, after hours-long gun battles chased them from their homes Tuesday.Jolted awake in the pre-dawn hours by gunfire, they had to wait until daylight to flee to the town of El Rosario. Many are from towns 15 or 20 miles (25 ro 35 kilometers) away.“So many people came it surprised me,” said Vázquez. “It’s such a sad situation, because I think they need a lot of psychological help, but that help needs to reach them where they are.”Residents fled from several farm hamlets along Michoacan’s Rio Grande, after bullets hit their homes. “There have been a series of armed clashes in...

Extreme heat baking much of Texas, with forecasters saying no relief anytime soon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:25 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Summer doesn’t officially start until next week, but extreme heat was already making itself right at home in Texas on Friday, with temperatures soaring above triple digits in many cities.Excessive heat warnings or heat advisories were issued for much of Texas, including Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Houston, Laredo and San Antonio, according to the National Weather Service. Some of the cities with triple digit highs on Friday included Austin, Del Rio, Junction, Laredo and San Angelo.Houston’s excessive heat warning was the first one issued for the city in nearly seven years. The temperature on Friday in Houston rose to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), with a heat index of 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius). The temperature in Corpus Christi was also 95 degrees by Friday afternoon, but its heat index swelled to 119 degrees (48 degrees Celsius). Heat index values take into account the temperature and relative humidity and indicate how hot it f...

New bill seeks to make farmland more affordable for new and underserved farmers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- Some farmers can't afford to own the land they use to grow their produce and livestock."I was going to have to stop farming altogether," said Susan Mitchell.For Mitchell, finding farmland was an uphill battle. She spent nearly a decade bouncing from one leased plot of land to another."It was incredibly challenging to find something that was affordable for me as a full-time working farmer," Mitchell said.And she's not alone. Mitchell says many farmers struggle to buy their own land, either because there isn't any available or it's too expensive."There are fewer farmers now than there have ever been, so the number population nationwide keeps decreasing," Mitchell said.To help, some lawmakers are backing bipartisan legislation to help make farmland more affordable, especially for young or underserved farmers."Number one, make sure we actually have food production in this country, and number two, it would also give people like Susan an opportunity to pursue their...

Are you owed money from the FTC's $3.3M student loan scam settlement?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:25 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Earlier this week the Federal Trade Commission announced that $3.3 million will go to tens of thousands of victims of a student loan debt relief scheme.The FTC said troubled Arete Financial Group claimed to be affiliated with the U.S. Dept. of Education to dupe people desperate to rid themselves of monthly student loan payments.Arete promised to reduce or eliminate the interest charges if borrowers sent them payments upfront, but "the scammers pocketed customers' payments and never provided the promised relief," the FTC said. Here’s the richest person in your state, according to Forbes Arete Financial was one of several companies who launched publicity campaigns including radio, television, online ads and telemarketing calls promising loan forgiveness, consolidation and repayment, the FTC alleged in 2019.The FTC said despite the promises Arete Financial "regularly failed to reduce or eliminate consumers' loan balances or monthly payments."What we know about the payment...

Businesses concerned about crime near sanctioned homeless camp, vacant Austin lot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Business owners near a sanctioned encampment in southeast Austin have said that without enough space for people to live inside the camp, the overflow is causing problems outside of it. Caleb Harris owns a franchise of College Hunks, a moving company, which is run out of a building just north of Esperanza Community. Harris said especially over the last month, they've seen an increased number of people -- who overwhelmingly appear to be living on the vacant property behind the camp -- breaking into cars, stealing equipment and becoming aggressive with people at the business. Business owners took photos and collected Ring camera video of several run-ins with people living in a vacant Austin property nearby (Photo Courtesy Business Owners)Harris says over the last few years, he's spent tens of thousands of dollars replacing and fixing moving equipment, including the window at the front of the store, a box truck ramp and eight catalytic converters. "That camp has changed...

'Every day is Pride at Book Woman': Owner hopes store makes it to 50

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Despite the disruptions of vandalism, eviction, inflation and online bookstores, Austin's Book Woman is still standing. Susan Post, Austin's "Book Woman" (KXAN Photos/Cora Neas)The store originally started in December 1975 as the Common Woman Bookstore, the name referencing a work by lesbian poet Judy Grahn. It was the collective project of 13 women who wanted Austin to have a feminist bookstore. The last remaining member of that collective is Susan Post, who still runs the store with the help of a couple of workers. It moved locations multiple times during those early years, at one point being at 6th St. and Trinity St. "[Our landlord] said, 'I don't want to look out my store and see a common woman.' And so we had to change our name," said Post about those years, "We were harassed on 6th St., and eventually accepted there, but it took about three years."The Venus symbol with a fist, an iconic feminist symbol. (KXAN Photos/Cora Neas)During the 6th St. years, the st...

Another 'orange' air quality day Saturday in St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:25 GMT

ST. LOUIS - This weekend might not be the best time for certain folks to get outside regularly, but not necessarily due to heat alone. The National Weather Service forecasts an "orange" air quality day for the St. Louis region on Saturday. The rating is in effect from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. Triple shooting at North St. Louis gas station one dead, two injured The “orange” rating is based on the U.S. Air Quality Index, which means the index values are between 101 and 150. During such advisories, health experts say members of sensitive groups may experience health effects, but the general public is less likely to be affected.When an “orange” rating is deemed, certain populations should consider precautions or limits with their outdoor activities. That may include, but not be limited to, people with lung diseases, older adults, children and people who are active outdoors.According to the National Weather Service, an orange air quality forecast “means that maximum ozone c...

How to see 5 planets line up in the sky on Saturday morning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wake up early this weekend to catch a celestial sight: Five planets will line up in the sky before sunrise on Saturday.Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Uranus and Mercury will appear together, weather permitting. Here’s how to spot the planet parade.WHEN AND WHERE CAN I SEE THEM?For the best views, seek a spot with little light pollution and a clear view of the horizon.Mercury will be the last to come into view, about an hour before sunrise. If you go outside at that time, you’ll be able to see all five planets stretching across the sky — from Mercury down by the horizon to Saturn higher up in the sky — until the sun rises.DO I NEED BINOCULARS OR A TELESCOPE?Some planets will be easier to spot than others.Jupiter and Saturn will be pretty bright and easiest to see. Mercury will be a little dimmer, though still possibly visible with the naked eye. To get a view of Neptune and Uranus, you’ll probably need to break out a pair of binoculars or a telescope.HOW COMMON IS THIS?The...

Vice President Kamala Harris says Denver students’ climate plan is a model for others to follow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:25 GMT

Linking the climate crisis to youth-driven political movements of the past, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a Denver high school Friday and urged students to organize and fight to change the hotter, dryer world they’re inheriting.“You have endured a mental and emotional toll of this crisis,” she said at Denver’s Northfield High School. “In fact, so many of our young people talk to me about it and they told me, ‘Well, you know we have a name for it. It’s called climate anxiety.'”Friday was Harris’ second visit to the metro area in three months, both focusing on climate change. Her first visit was a discussion about the challenges of the crisis in Arvada. This time, she said, she wanted to spur on youth involvement in climate policy by highlighting the work done by Denver Public School students to enact a district-wide climate action plan, which encouraged cleaner energy and reducing the district’s carbon footprint. It ...

Sinkhole closes westbound Arapahoe Road in Greenwood Village

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:25 GMT

Westbound lanes of Arapahoe Road are closed Friday evening because of a sinkhole, Greenwood Village officials said.ROAD CLOSURE: Westbound Arapahoe Road is closed between Yosemite Street and Greenwood Plaza Boulevard due to a sinkhole. Traffic is being detoured around the closed area. Alternative routes are suggested. @SouthMetroPIO @ColoradoDOT pic.twitter.com/HPZIdmianq— Greenwood Village (@GreenwoodGov) June 16, 2023The westbound lanes were closed between Yosemite Street and Greenwood Plaza Boulevard at 4 p.m. Friday.Traffic is being detoured around the area and alternative routes are suggested, officials said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | El Paso County officials searching for missing at-risk teen, last seen Thursday Crime and Public Safety | Denver officer investigated for slamming man to street during fight after Nuggets’ NBA Finals victory Crime and Public Safety | Victim struggles in ICU after downtown Denver...