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What is the 15-minute city?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:00 GMT

(The Hill) -- The 15-minute city is either an urban-planning epiphany or a totalitarian nightmare, depending on whom you ask. The concept, credited to a Sorbonne University professor, promotes self-contained communities where residents live, work, shop and play within a radius of 15-minute travel by foot or bicycle. A new iteration of old demographic ideas drew attention in 2020 as a pillar in the campaign platform of Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris.  Not until this year, though, did the 15-minute city reap its 15 minutes of global fame. In early 2023, the concept became swept up in a swirl of conspiracy theories. Social media posts warned of citizens being imprisoned in their neighborhoods and separated from their cars, a distinctly un-American prospect. The societal conversation about 15-minute cities “emerged as part of the COVID experience,” said Lisa Benton-Short, a professor of geography at George Washington University.  During the pandemic lockd...

'Golden' fossils reveal new secrets; provide clues to Jurassic extinction event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Fossils that have been making "fools" out of scientists for decades are getting a new look. Researchers with the University of Texas' Jackson School of Geosciences published a paper in Earth Science Reviews showing that fossils commonly thought to be coated in pyrite, also known as 'Fool's Gold," had been deceiving scientists for decades."There's a lot of work being done in paleontology that relies on assuming that we're seeing everything. And we're very rarely seeing everything," said Rowan Martindale, Ph.D., an associate professor with the Jackson School. She oversaw the team that did the research.The study, led by Drew Muscente, a former Jackson School postdoctoral researcher, examined fossils found in Germany."These iconic fossils, so many of them have this beautiful, sort of golden sheen," Martindale said.Fool's Gold and FossilsThe fossils are of creatures from the early Jurassic period, about 165 million years ago."It's the time where organisms were dying, goin...

Hottest temperatures still to come

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Extreme heat will continue late week into the weekend, likely to get worse before it gets any better. Expert: Texas heatwave 'driven by climate change' A Heat Advisory returns this afternoon, taking effect at 1 p.m. and continuing through Thursday evening. This dangerous combination of heat and humidity could lead to heat indices as hot as 113° in the late afternoon. We expect these advisories to be issued daily through Father's Day weekend -- and may even be upgraded to more rare Excessive Heat Warnings.A few isolated storms will attempt to develop this afternoon and evening, but coverage and intensity looks limited. Most areas will remain dry but keep an eye out for hail and gusty winds out of any well-developed storms.Isolated strong to severe storms possible Wednesday afternoon & evening'Feels like' temperatures could near 115° Thursday afternoonHazy skies are being brought by a combination of high humidity and agricultural burning in Mexico, according to ...

Doll therapy helping bring back memories for seniors in Buda

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:00 GMT

BUDA (KXAN) — A senior living community in Buda is distributing dolls to its residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s.The doll therapy program at at Buda Oaks Assisted Living and Memory Care has been going on since May.Executive director Susan LaBree believes this therapy has made a major impact on the mental health of the seniors."This gives them an opportunity to provide care to the dolls,” she said.For one resident with dementia, the doll therapy offers a soothing sense of familiarity. Residents at Buda Oaks Assisted Living stuff teddy bears for Brown Santa program "It reminds me of my kids,” Virginia Helton said. “When they were this age and little.”The memory care coordinators at Buda Oaks said the therapy is a tool, providing purpose and responsibility.The twice-weekly sessions usually involve holding, dressing and bathing the baby dolls.LaBree explained that the interaction encourages communication, companionship and engagement."Some residents identify that these are dolls, ...

Part of Milton's Rowland Street to close for 3 months

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:00 GMT

MILTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Part of Rowland Street in the town of Milton is set to close for almost three months. The road will be closed between Adams Road and Grand Avenue. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to the Saratoga County Department of Public Works, that section of road will be closed from Monday, June 19 to around September 7. Construction crews will be repairing a culvert in the area.Only local traffic will be allowed access during the closure. A detour will also be posted. Best restaurants in Ballston Spa, according to Yelp Check out NEWS10's traffic tracker. You can plan your route and see traffic delays in real-time!

NPD: Contractor arrested following employee death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:00 GMT

NORTHVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A contractor is charged with falsely reporting an incident and tampering with evidence in a case that resulted in a man being airlifted to Albany Medical Center where he later died. Jeremiah Wiedemann faces several charges. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On Friday, May 12, Northville Police responded to the area of S. Main Street at the spillway in Northville for reports of a man bleeding from the head and was in and out of consciousness. The man was flown to Albany Medical Center, where he died a few days later. Northville Police did not mention the name of the man.Police say initial reports indicated the man fell approximately 10-12 feet near the Batchellerville Bridge in Saratoga County. Once the investigation was turned over to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office, it was alleged that the incident happened on Sinclair Road in Northhampton, not near the Bathcellerville Bridge. Averill Park...

Averill Park CSD to dissolve 'Warriors' nickname

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:00 GMT

AVERILL PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to the Averill Park Central School District website, the district's board of education has passed a resolution to dissolve the nickname "Warriors." The decision comes in light of the New York State Board of Regents' regulation that bans all names and images of school mascots that currently or were related to Indigenous people prior. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Starting next year, a student-led leadership group will begin the process of choosing a new nickname gathering input from students, staff, faculty, and community members. Once the group narrows down the selections, the board of education will decide on a new name. The district clarified on its website that advocacy measures showed the district distanced itself from linking the name Warriors to any Indigenous groups since the late 1990s.

Two adults dead, 3 children injured as school bus converted to camper rolls off road in Larimer County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:00 GMT

A man and a woman were killed and three children were injured overnight when a school bus converted into a camper crashed and rolled northwest of Denver in Larimer County along Pingree Park Road, authorities said.A 1-year-old girl was airlifted by helicopter to Children’s Hospital with serious injuries. Two boys, aged 7 and 3, were taken by ambulance to a hospital. The 47-year-old man from Greeley, and the 34-year-old woman from Loveland, were dead at the scene, Colorado State Patrol Master Trooper Gary Cutler said.This single-vehicle crash happened shortly before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night and Poudre Canyon firefighters went to the scene, maneuvering in rugged terrain, along with Larimer County Sheriff’s deputies, according to agency postings on Twitter.Colorado State Patrol troopers were assisting in the aftermath. “They drifted off the road, and ended up rolling down the hill, about 400 feet,” Cutler said.The relationships hadn’t been verified. The conv...

5 cars torched in latest arson targeting vehicles in L.A. County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:00 GMT

Police are searching for an arsonist who set five Los Angeles County vehicles on fire Wednesday morning.The fire erupted around 1 a.m. on the third floor of a downtown Los Angeles parking structure in the 200 block of Spring Street. Fire crews quickly responded to douse the flames but all of the vehicles suffered major damage, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson. It was unclear what the vehicles were used for but the parking fees were being paid by the County. Police are searching for an arson suspect who set five Los Angeles County vehicles on fire on June 14, 2023. (KeyNews.TV)No injuries were reported as a result of the fires. Police are searching for a possibly unhoused male suspect who was seen riding a bike in the area. Officers are looking at surveillance video that may help in the investigation.Earlier this month, several families were forced to evacuate their homes in the Fairfax District of L.A. after a suspected arson fire ripped through a parking ga...

I tried ‘real’ cheese that came from a lab, not a cow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:00 GMT

I've tasted a lot of "new" foods in the course of my tech reporting, but none of them required me to sign a waiver."Is this safe to eat?," I asked the CEO of New Culture, a high-tech cheese startup, before I signed.He assured me it was.I was at an intimate tasting event being held at the famed Pizzeria Mozza in Hollywood, a place I've been many times in the past. But tonight would be different since the cheese on my pizza was made in a lab, not by cows."At new culture we figured out a way to keep that dairy cheese experience, that magical property of mozzarella like the stretch and the mouthfeel, but without requiring any animals," explained New Culture CEO and co-founder Matt Gibson.Their cheese is made by a process called precision fermentation. Somehow, the startup figured out a way to re-create the dairy protein casein, which is typically only found in cows."The technology is being able to create a microbe that is really, really good at producing dairy protein," said Gibson.Pizz...