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At least 11 Americans killed in surprise attacks against Israel, Biden says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:59 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel increased airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and sealed it off from food, fuel, and other supplies in retaliation for a bloody incursion by Hamas militants, as the war's death toll rose to nearly 1,600 on both sides. Hamas also escalated on Monday, pledging to kill captured Israelis if attacks targeted civilians without warnings.At least 11 U.S. citizens have been confirmed dead in the surprise Hamas attacks, U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday.Biden also said the U.S. government believes it is “likely” that Americans are among those currently being held hostage by Hamas militants, while other U.S. citizens are still unaccounted for after the deadly assault.“My heart goes out to every family impacted by the horrible events of the past few days,” Biden said in a statement. “The pain these families have endured, the enormity of their loss, and the agony of those still awaiting information is unfathomable.”He stressed that the State Department is offering assistan...

Parental interactions help make kids more social — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:59 GMT

Medical Watch Digest for October 9Making Kids More SocialThere is a simple way to make kids more social and it all has to do with parental interactions.Young children who are close to their parents are more likely to grow up more pro-social.University of Cambridge researchers studied 10,000 kids to determine the long term impact of the earliest relationships and future mental health.Young people who had warm and loving relationships with their parents at age three had fewer mental health problems during early childhood and adolescence and also displayed socially desirable behaviors like empathy, helpfulness, generosity and volunteering.Running Away from DepressionIt may be possible to run away from depression.Researchers from the European College of Neuro Psycho Pharmacology wanted to see if exercise could rival anti-depressants for relieving symptoms in those suffering with depression and anxiety.They found not only did exercise relieve depression, it provided physical benefits and...

Magnitude 4.0 earthquake among 5 reported in Texas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- At least five earthquakes occurred in Texas on Monday, one of them was reported at a 4.0 magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website.The 4.0 magnitude earthquake happened in Nordheim, which is southeast of San Antonio. Another one occurred about 30 miles west of Nordheim in Falls City. That earthquake was reported as a magnitude 3.5, according to USGS. Magnitude 4.0 earthquake reported in South Texas Back in September, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was reported near Falls City.A magnitude 2.9 earthquake occurred in Mentone, which is located east of El Paso. The last two earthquakes occurred in West Texas in Scurry County, according to USGS. The first one was a magnitude 3.0, and the second was a magnitude 2.9. MAP: What’s the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Texas? Texas’ strongest earthquake in history struck around 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 16, 1931. The magnitude 5.8 earthquake was centered about 7.5 miles southwest of Valentine, a sm...

Passing rain showers for some areas on Tuesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Tropical moisture from two tropical storms in the Pacific and a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico is forecast to move into southeast Texas Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing cloudy skies locally with a few passing, light rain showers.There is higher than normal uncertainty in how much rain ends up falling in our area depending on where the tropical moisture ends up, but we currently expect a 50% chance of light rain Tuesday and early Wednesday with rain totals generally under 0.25".Rain showers should be most numerous from early Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday evening.Dry weather is forecast from Thursday as a dry cold front sets up to our north. That front is expected to breeze through early Friday, dropping temperatures and humidity for ACL weekend two.Music fans may be able to pull off the impossible and have a second consecutive wonderful autumn weekend at Zilker Park with highs in the 70s and low humidity. Annular solar eclipse Saturday, Oct. 14The weath...

Austin, Cedar Park fire departments knock out structure fire involving solar panels

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:59 GMT

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department and the Cedar Park Fire Department are responding to reports of a structure fire in the 10200 block of Fossmoor Street, AFD said in a social media post Monday.Per AFD, initial reports said there were flames visible under solar panels on the roof. Residents are asked to avoid the area as crews respond to the scene.In a follow-up social media post, AFD said the fire had been knocked down around noon Monday. Some personnel remained on scene to check for any possible hot spots.

Wild’s salary cap space is tight, but there will be room next season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:59 GMT

The Wild have officially entered the dead zone this season, a two-year stretch during which the team carries $14.7 million in dead salary cap space, the result of buying out the contracts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.The Wild will start the regular season this week about $818,000 under the $83.5 million salary cap and it’s been a major topic of conversation during training camp because it made it nearly impossible to promote a forward to the NHL roster out of training camp.Instead, the Wild head into Thursday’s regular-season opener against Florida at Xcel Energy Center with two open roster spots, despite losing top-four defenseman Jared Spurgeon to an injury that could cost him weeks.Releasing Parise and Suter with four years left on their identical 13-year, $98 million contracts in July 2021 already has helped the Wild, freeing enough salary burden to sign center Joel Eriksson Ek to an eight-year, $42 million contract extension, for instance. It also will cost the Wild another $1...

Man serving life sentence for toddler’s murder in Maplewood suspected in Lino Lakes prison homicide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:59 GMT

A 43-year-old man serving a life sentence for the murder of his girlfriend’s toddler in Maplewood is the suspect in the death of a fellow inmate of the Lino Lake prison, the Minnesota Department of Corrections said Monday.Steven Paul Patchen, 63, was found unresponsive in his cell at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and pronounced dead about an hour later. Patchen was serving a 19½ year sentence after being convicted of three counts of criminal sexual conduct in Anoka County in 2018.The Department of Corrections identified Kyle John Kelbel as the suspect Monday. Kelbel was convicted of first-degree murder in 2001 in the death of 2-year-old Kailyn Montgomery, his girlfriend’s daughter. The toddler died of multiple abdominal injuries. An autopsy also showed numerous bruises and scrapes on Kailyn’s scalp, face, torso, arms and legs.Kelbel has been transferred to the Oak Park Heights prison, the DOC’s highest security facility.Patchen was in prison after he was charged in 2017 with...

New Gophers women’s basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit wants ‘hard-hat mentality’ from her team

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:59 GMT

New Gophers women’s basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit saw a sign backstage at Big Ten Media Days at Target Center on Monday. She related it to her team.The sign said: hardhats available upon request. “I think’s what our team is at this point,” Plitzuweit said from the podium.Later, Plitzuweit added, “It’s who we are. That will be our identity throughout the course of not just this season, but through the course of our program. We talk about the first pillar is toughness. That is a hard-hat mentality.”Plitzuweit has begun reshaping a team that finished 11-19 overall and 4-14 in the Big Ten last season. Of the team’s 14 total players, 10 are freshmen or sophomores, including star guard Mara Braun, who was named preseason all-Big Ten by the conference’s coaches last week.Braun, Mallory Heyer and Amaya Battle shared what they view as the non-negotiable aspects of how Plitzuweit wants her team to play this season.“Playing hard; that is the main thing for her,” Heyer said. “If you ar...

Capital Region Jews react to attack on Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:59 GMT

CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Some Capital Region community members are voicing concern over the Hamas attack on Israel on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Yom Kippur War. NEWS10 spoke with some local Jews who have family ties to Israel. Asylees arrested in Colonie Rob Kovach, the President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York told NEWS10 that the folks here at home are fearful that their family may be caught up in the danger overseas.“We've had people go back and forth and sadly we have friends from the region who are from here and in the region, we know them well and some may have been kidnapped so certainly a tremendous amount of concern,” said Kovach. “Here in the community, I know of a local woman whose brother is among the missing and presumed kidnapped.”Kovach says that he too has family in the region and is concerned for their safety.  “My son, just actually moved to Israel in August. So, my daughter had moved there four years ago has bee...

Mizzou alumni group produces video to prevent hazing at fraternities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:59 GMT

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Two years after a horrific hazing incident left a University of Missouri-Columbia freshman blind and unable to talk or walk, 16 fraternities at the university have produced and released a video designed to reduce and prevent future tragedies.The video, called "Arm Yourself to Say No," will be shown to incoming pledges, fraternity members, officers, and other student groups during the fall semester.“Although aspects of the video are emotionally charged, the aim of the production is to effect a change in behavior among the groups to which it is targeted," said Bob Selsor, president of the Mizzou Greek Alliance. The 26-minute video shows the dangers of hazing and the consequences for those who participate in such behavior.The Mizzou Greek Alliance was formed in 2022 by 16 campus fraternities to enrich the experience of Greek student life, foster safe practices within the organizations, advocate campus-wide support for fraternities by modernizing their culture and p...