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Two Austin students head to Scripps National Spelling Bee

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:22:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – On Tuesday, 231 children aged 9 to 14 will face off in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C, perhaps leading to many of us feeling ashamed of our over-reliance on spell-check. Two Austinites – Shrethan Botla,14,  and Tarini Nandakumar, 12 – will compete to be this year’s spelling champion. Bolta, who said this is his first and last entry into the national competition, said he feels both nervous and excited ahead of the trip.“I'm feeling really happy because I've never been to an event, a big international level,” he told KXAN. Other spelling contestants beware if the word “onomatopoeia” is called as it is Bolta’s favorite. “It’s just a very unique and perplexing word overall,” Bolta said on why he finds the word compelling. “And words that kind of stumped me are probably words that just don't follow the language pattern. If they're of an unknown origin, it just makes it harder to spell [because] I can't follow any of the r...

Patient safety bill, sparked by KXAN, goes to governor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:22:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A major bipartisan bill aimed at protecting patients from dangerous doctors — filed in direct response to KXAN's "Still Practicing" investigations — received final approval from the House on Friday with a vote of 120-16. It now goes to the governor."I am pleased that we were able to achieve meaningful reform to the Texas Medical Board," said the bill's author, Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmer's Branch. "We have closed a loophole that allowed for situations like Dr. Death cases to happen and gave the TMB necessary tools to propely credential and investigate physician malpractice. Texas patients will have greater protection and transparency going forward." READ THE BILL: The final version of HB 1998, inspired by KXAN's investigations What the bill doesThe bill was championed for its strong patient safety measures and received overwhelming support from Republicans, Democrats and even the Texas Medical Board. If Gov. Greg Abbott signs it into law, it will address many of...

Body recovered near where missing teen fell into St Croix River

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:22:20 GMT

A group of people canoeing on the St. Croix River south of Taylors Falls reported a body floating in the water Friday morning, not far from where a teen went missing after he fell from a rock ledge into the swollen river in April.The group reported the body at 11 a.m. Friday in an area south of Taylors Falls. The body was recovered and was taken to the Midwest Medical examiner’s office, which will do an autopsy and positively identify the person, according to a press release from the Chicago County sheriff’s office.The press release said the sheriff’s office has been actively searching for a person believed to have drowned earlier this spring in that same area.Just after 6 p.m. on April 11, DAndrea Sanvig, 18, of Luck, Wis., apparently lost his footing and fell from a rock ledge into the swollen and swiftly moving river at Interstate State Park in Taylors Falls, Minn.An extensive rescue effort involving multiple area agencies and spanning several days was launched,...

Nuggets’ 10-day wait for NBA Finals started with rowdy flight home from Los Angeles: “I stayed away from the back”

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:22:20 GMT

The party in the back of the plane wasn’t nearly as fun for Michael Malone as the party on a screen right in front of him.While Nuggets players and staff were living in the euphoric moment, the head coach couldn’t help but relive the immediate past, just to make sure it wasn’t fantasy.“Felt like it took forever to take off, and the front of the plane had some music playing. Sounded pretty lively,” Malone said. “But the back of plane was — I was nervous to go back there. They said, ‘Coach, you don’t want to go in the back.’ So I stayed away from the back and kept my head down.”“It was a good flight,” point guard Jamal Murray said.Instead, Malone spent that first portion of the Nuggets’ victorious flight home from Los Angeles watching the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.Malone watched Nikola Jokic’s one-legged circus 3-pointer and wondered, “have we come up with a ...

Denver weather: Thunderstorm watch in effect until 9 p.m.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:22:20 GMT

3:11 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning for Aurora, Brighton and the area near the Denver International Airport is in effect until 4 p.m. Potential hazards include half-dollar-sized hail and 60 mph winds.Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Aurora CO, Denver Intl Airport CO and Brighton CO until 4:00 PM MDT pic.twitter.com/GP3qF90RLs— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) May 26, 2023A severe thunderstorm warning also has been issued for Nunn and Hereford, which also is in effect until 4 p.m.Potential hazards include winds of up to 60 mph and quarter-sized hail.Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Nunn CO and Hereford CO until 4:00 PM MDT pic.twitter.com/DCW8FeuqtJ— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) May 26, 20233:01 p.m.: A  severe thunderstorm warning is in effect in Greeley, Windsor and Evans until 3:45 p.m.Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Greeley CO, Windsor CO and Evans CO until 3:45 PM MDT pic.twitter.com/tchHxBRwtO— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) May 26, 20232:50 p.m.: A s...

Raccoons throw 'pool party' in Huntington Beach

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:22:20 GMT

Memorial Day Weekend is a great time to take a dip in the pool. Just ask these raccoons.Jimmy Sena of Huntington Beach says he woke up to his chocolate Lab, Hank, “going crazy” around 5:45 a.m. Friday morning. He looked outside and saw one raccoon on a wall in his backyard. No big deal."I tried to calm Hank down and went back to bed, and then he went even crazier!" said Sena. "I looked out back again and saw three Racoons all standing by the edge of the pool, and they were either playing or fighting."Moments later, he says, one raccoon fell into the pool and the other two jumped in.Sena recorded over two minutes of the critters swimming around and generally having a good time (and getting clean), and then sent the video to KTLA with the fitting subject line, “Raccoon Pool Party.”Jimmy Sena recorded over two minutes of the raccoons swimming in his Huntington Beach, Calif. pool. May 26, 2023. (Jimmy Sena)Sena says the raccoons stayed in the pool for around 20 minutes and "weren’t conc...

Innocent taxi driver killed in wrong-way crash on 110 Freeway; woman arrested

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:22:20 GMT

One person died and three others were injured when a wrong-way driver crashed into another car in the northbound lanes of the 110 Freeway early Friday.The crash happened just before 3 a.m. near Exposition Boulevard in the downtown Los Angeles area and involved a taxi and a black Chevy Cruze, according to the California Highway Patrol. Investigators say the driver of the Chevy was going southbound in the northbound lanes when she crashed into the taxi, killing the cab driver. He was later identified as Ken Balayev, 71, of Calabasas.The crash scene on the 110 Freeway on May 26, 2023. (OnScene.TV)The driver of the Cruze, identified as 23-year-old Samantha Molina, and a female passenger were hospitalized with serious injuries. The passenger of the taxi suffered minor injuries. Molina was eventually arrested. The collision forced the closure of the northbound 110 for several hours. All lanes reopened around 6 a.m.CHP is investigating if drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.

3-year cruise hasn't begun but already in hot water

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:22:20 GMT

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip.On March 1, a cruise operator named Miray Cruises announced a three-year, 130,000-mile voyage organized by a subsidiary called Life at Sea Cruises."Set aboard the beautifully revitalized MV Gemini -- which boasts 400 cabins and room for up to 1,074 passengers -- cruisers will enjoy the best of living and working at sea," the company pledged in a press release.Now it's unclear if the cruise will actually happen. Or if it does, what ship it will be on.CNN reports that Life at Sea Cruises is at odds with its parent company over the seaworthiness of the MV Gemini, and some passengers are already asking for refunds.The voyage, with a starting price of $30,000, is scheduled to depart from Istanbul on Nov. 1.A spokeswoman for Miray Cruises insisted in a webinar this week that the cruise isn't being called off."This cruise is not canceled," she said. "We are moving ahead. It is departing Nov. 1 as planned. So I just ...

Santa Barbara inmate dies after suspected opioid overdose

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:22:20 GMT

An inmate at the Santa Barbara Main Jail died after a possible opioid overdose Thursday night, officials announced Friday.At approximately 10:57 p.m., a custody deputy and a WellPath nurse were conducting welfare checks and noticed that one inmate, whose name has not been released, wasn’t responding.After entering the inmate’s cell, county jail officials found the inmate unresponsive, not breathing and with a foamy purge coming from his mouth, according to a news release.Medical staff and county deputies performed life-saving measures, including administering three rounds of Narcan, performing CPR, and placing an automated external defibrillator on the individual.Paramedics and officials with the County Fire and American Medical Response were also called to assist with life-saving measures. However, the inmate didn’t recover and was pronounced dead.Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Coroner’s Office are investigating the in-custody death, but ...

Federal Cannabis Arrests Dip 24% in 2022

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:22:20 GMT

Advocates are celebrating federal cannabis arrests dropping 24% in 2022After frequently noting all the cannabis progress happening around the country and the world in recent years, we were a bit caught off guard by the large jump in cannabis arrests during the first year of the Biden administration. That 2021 jump in arrests was the biggest in a decade, as we noted last year. This was despite Biden’s promises to pursue decriminalization, now two and a half years ago. Nevertheless, 6,606 people will be arrested by the DEA and partner agencies in 2021. There were further resounding messages from the community that this was the opposite direction we had expected to see cannabis enforcement take in the Biden Administration. The 5,061 people arrested on federal cannabis charges last year represent a 24% drop from the year before. It also nearly erases the jump from 2021 when the decade-highs in arrests represented a 25% jump from the year before. NORML noted that while arrests were down,...