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Know your rights as an airline passenger amid summer travel frustration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:06:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – Air travel angst is the theme of the summer travel season, and more Americans are feeling it this year. As of July 18, TSA statistics show 45.3 million travelers have passed through U.S. airport checkpoints, an average of 2.5 million people per day. That’s up significantly from the same period last July when 40.4 million travelers accounted for a daily average of 2.2 million.“I characterize it as a long-running perfect storm,” said Paul Hudson, president of FlyersRights.org.Hudson says congestion delays at major domestic hubs, antiquated computer systems, and pilot and air traffic control shortages are fueling the frustration travelers are experiencing nationwide.“The airlines are not going to generally advise you of your rights,” he said.That’s why Hudson urges travelers to study the contract of carriage for the airline they’re flying because they’re not all the same.“If your flight is canceled or accessibly delayed, you have a right to what’s called an involunta...

1 dead, 1 transported post-Travis County motorcycle crash Sunday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:06:59 GMT

JONESTOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Austin-Travis County EMS and other emergency crews responded to a fatal two-motorcycle crash in Jonestown Sunday morning.ATCEMS was notified of a crash in the 19400 block of FM 1431 just before 9 a.m. Sunday. North Lake Travis Fire Department, Travis County Sheriff's Office and Travis County Star Flight joined ATCEMS in the response effort.In a follow-up tweet, ATCEMS said FM 1431 is shut down and urged drivers to avoid the area. Two patients were initially marked as trauma alerts, with one set to be transported by air via Star Flight and the other via an ambulance.In a later update, ATCEMS officials said one patient died at the crash scene. Emergency responders added one adult trauma patient has been taken to St. David's Round Rock Medical Center with serious, albeit not expected to be life-threatening, injuries. The Texas Department of Transportation's Austin District tweeted out Sunday both eastbound and westbound lanes along FM 1431 are closed due to th...

A little more rain to come

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:06:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Afternoon and evening showers and isolated thunderstorms are part of the forecast today. Much of this rain will fall in our southern viewing area close to a stationary front. The rain chance for this afternoon will be 20%.A few locations will get rain today but there won't be much measuredThe first measured rain in more than two weeks left, on average, .01" to .10". There were a few gauges with more than .10", topped by .40" at Jollyville. Camp Mabry's gauge had .01". CENTRAL TEXAS RAINFALL TOTALS The day dawned with increasing clouds in some of our area. A record warm low was tied at Camp Mabry with the morning minimum of 80°. The record was first set in 2019. Most lows were in the mid to upper 70s.Clouds will break for a few hours late this morning, returning in the afternoon with a few opening up to the forecast of showers and isolated thunderstorms.Today's "normal" high is 98°Maximum heat indices yesterday topped out at 108° at Cameron, La Grange and San Marco...

Williamson County opens its largest park near Liberty Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:06:59 GMT

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A new 1,354-acre county park is now open in Williamson County. River Ranch County Park opened Saturday near Liberty Hill as the county's largest park. Parkgoers can find a playground, pavilions, hiking trails, bike trails, horse trails and more at the park. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Construction to resume on River Ranch County Park after year-long delay An interpretive center is yet to open, but it will offer hands-on exhibits "where visitors can learn about the natural, cultural and historic resources that make the park special," a release said. Park hours are 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and traffic into the park will close at 9 p.m.Park fees are $4 per adult, $2 for adults age 65 and older and free for children under 12. Park construction began in 2018 with an opening date scheduled in 2020 at the time. After contractor delays and the firing of a previous builder, Williamson County commissioners approved a new contract in August 2022 to finish buildin...

Trudy Rubin: Putin is playing a game of food blackmail. The West can’t let him win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:06:59 GMT

ODESA, Ukraine — One year ago, just as I arrived in this historic port city, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to stop blockading Ukraine’s grain exports and fueling a famine in Africa and the Middle East.The day after signing the U.N.-brokered deal, Russians shelled Odesa’s port facilities, as if to warn: “Don’t think this deal protects you.”Exactly one year later, I returned to Odesa just as Russia pulled out of the deal, once again threatening global food supplies. Putin is playing a game of food blackmail, trying to get Western countries to loosen sanctions on certain Russian banks if they want the Ukrainian grain to start flowing again. Canada rightly called the renewed blockade “the weaponization of hunger by the Russian Federation.”As I wrote back then, and reemphasize now, if any Western leaders still nurse fantasies about talks with Putin to end his war on Ukraine, his disdain for the grain deal proves they are fools.And...

Real World Economics: Climate change meets Econ 101

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:06:59 GMT

Edward LottermanIn their first chapters, many introductory econ texts list “challenges every economy must face.”“How does the economy adapt to change?” usually is on the list.That question confronts us now as we face extreme weather events and climate change.Policies and institutions matter. When faced with challenges, different countries and cultures have different outcomes.A colleague born in Japan described how his family dug a cave into a railroad embankment after their house was lost to U.S. firebombing. “We lived there the next two years” he said. Ironically, I had just read a parallel account by a Russian woman whose family lost their house in the battle of Stalingrad. They dug into a hillside “and we lived there for the next 17 years.”Japan, Germany, Poland, the Soviet Union and other countries suffered enormous destruction during World War II, but they had different economic systems and their recovery varied greatly. The market-based ones were much more successful than the ...

U.S. Attorney opposes NXIVM leader's 3rd motion for new trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:06:59 GMT

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York is asking the court to shut down former NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere's third motion for a new trial, calling it "untimely and meritless." Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Raniere, who was sentenced to 120 years in prison in 2020, claims federal prosecutors tampered with evidence, which prosecutors have denied. The former Capital Region-based, disgraced "self-improvement" guru claims that he is entitled to a new trial because “newly discoveredevidence” demonstrates that “the government manufactured child pornography and planted iton a computer hard drive to tie it to him,” according to documents filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Hajjar. Raniere lawyer trying for new judge, trial Federal prosecutors have struck down Raniere's claims, stating Raniere has failed to identify any "newly discovered evidence." They point to evidence presented at...

Mohonasen HS grad's speech goes viral online

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:06:59 GMT

CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local teenager has gone viral on TikTok for the inspirational words he shared at his Mohonasen High School graduation ceremony. Nick Giardono’s speech has received millions of views and over 150,000 likes on the platform. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The 18-year-old shared a message of "doing your best" and having faith in what the future holds. He emphasized that while he was not the class valedictorian or class president, he had ideas worth sharing, and the proof is in the reception online. His sports-related analogies resonated with people all across the internet.Giardono joined NEWS10's Giuliana Bruno to discuss how it feels to be a role model for other students like him, and share his plans for the future. You can watch parts of his speech, and the full interview, in the video player above.

Twitter will drop the bird logo, Musk says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:06:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk said Sunday that he plans to change the logo of Twitter to an “X” from the bird, marking what would be the latest big change since he bought the social media platform for $44 billion last year. In a series of posts on his Twitter account starting just after 12 a.m. ET, Twitter's owner said that he's looking to make the change worldwide as soon as Monday. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” Musk wrote on his account.Earlier this month, the billionaire Tesla CEO put new curfews on his digital town square, a move that met with sharp criticism that it could drive away more advertisers and undermine its cultural influence as a trendsetter. Mohonasen HS grad’s speech goes viral online The higher tweet-viewing threshold is part of an $8-per-month subscription service that Musk rolled out earlier this year in an att...

EU must listen to Global South

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:06:59 GMT

Last week the EU parliament debated the Manipur issue in India. Honestly, 99% of EU parliament members will not know where on the map Manipur is. These preachings in condescending tones will not go down well with India. Manipur is an internal issue of India. It is clear India has not meddled in EU affairs but EU is still patronising and condescending to others with colonial and imperial prism of racism. This will hamper bilateral relationship and trade co-operation with a major rising superpower like India and to keep rising assertive China in check constantly. Indians feel the EU should stop bilateral mishaps of meddling in others affairs and these patronising tones, lectures will only make Global South Isolate EU.The EU must also understand India is not a western country. India has it’s own values and culture. India has always been an independent thinking power without being anyone’s ally. India will not choose anyone’s camp and will choose itself so targeting India with broken re...