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NASA power outage temporarily halts contact with space station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:41 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA power outage disrupted communication between Mission Control and the International Space Station on Tuesday. Mission Control couldn’t send commands to the station and talk with the seven astronauts in orbit. The power outage hit as upgrade work was underway in the building at Houston’s Johnson Space Center.Space station program manager Joel Montelbano said neither the astronauts nor station were ever in any danger and that backup control systems took over within 90 minutes. The crew was notified of the problem through Russian communication systems, within 20 minutes of the outage.It’s the first time NASA has had to fire up these backup systems to take control, according to Montelbano. He said NASA hoped to resolve the issue and be back to normal operations by the end of the day.NASA maintains a backup control center miles from Houston in the event a hurricane or other disaster requiring evacuations. But in Tuesday’s case, the flig...

What are cloudbursts and is climate change making them more frequent?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:41 GMT

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Last Saturday, Mohammed Aslam was working in his kitchen garden when he heard his fellow villagers shouting that water was coming from the nearby foothills in southern Kulgam area in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Within moments, the farmer said, mud and muck from gushing water swept through the village, damaging scores of homes.“It was sudden and swift,” Aslam said. A cloudburst followed by flashfloods hit nearly a dozen villages in Kulgam, filling homes with mud and washing away some cattle.A day before, on Friday night, another cloudburst in the neighboring arid, cold desert region of Ladakh triggered flashfloods and inundated parts of its major town, Leh. The floodwaters entered the town’s main market, damaging shops, sweeping away vehicles and leaving its streets a muddy mess.Intense rainfall in the Himalayan regions of India’s Kashmir state and the adjacent mountainous cold desert of Ladakh last week destroyed roads and caused flooding of dozens of villages...

Chicago teen, victim of 'Highway Killer' ID'd after nearly 40 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:41 GMT

NEWTON COUNTY, Ind. — The Newton County Coroner's Office has determined the identity of one of former serial killer Larry Eyler's victims as a Chicago teen.The victim, who had been known as "Adam Doe" for the last several decades, has been identified as Keith Lavell Bibbs. Bibbs was 17 years old at the time of his disappearance from the city.The release stated that the victim's family has been informed of this development. Keith Lavell Bibbs (via Newton Co. Coroner's Office)Bibbs is the latest victim to be identified through the Identify Indiana Initiative, the DNA Doe Project and the Indiana State Police Lab based in Indianapolis. The Identify Indiana Initiative is a collaboration between the Indiana Coroner's Association, the Human Identification Center at the University of Indianapolis and the Indiana State Police Laboratory. The goal of the initiative is to successfully identify every unidentified person in Indiana. The NCCO said the remains of Bibbs and four other young men wer...

Chicago area police teaming up Wednesday for Speed Awareness Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:41 GMT

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — Law enforcement around the area are teaming up to crack down on speeding.Several agencies in the Midwest, including from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, are reminding the public Wednesday of National Speed Day.Across the country, about a third of all deadly traffic crashes involve speeding.Speed-related crashes have actually gone up in the last couple of years."People got used to going places faster (in the pandemic)," said IDOT's Director of Highways and Chief Engineer Steve Travia. Cook County sees record 2,000 opioid deaths in 2022; 91% fentanyl-related Focus by police will not just be on interstates and highways, but also on surface streets.

DNC Convention 2024: 'Historic' peace agreement reached between city and union leaders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:41 GMT

CHICAGO — More than a year ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a peace agreement has been reached with union leaders.The agreement means unions won't strike during the convention including the set-up, the event and the tear down as long as union workers are treated well and are promised a safe work environment.The signing ceremony held Tuesday at McCormick Place included labor leaders, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, along with Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.They all say a lot of work still needs to get done before next year's convention. Events will be held throughout the city, but some of the main events will be at the United Center from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22. Chicago selected to host 2024 Democratic National Convention The last time Chicago hosted a National Convention was back in 1996 when Bill Clinton was running for re-election.All of the people involved with the DNC 2024 Convention say this was the quickest a peace agreement has ...

Plane crashes through roof of Texas duplex after engine fails: 'Split-second decision'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:41 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — A plane with three people on board crashed through the roof of a duplex in Georgetown, Texas, on Sunday.No one was inside the duplex at the time, officials said. None of the plane's occupants suffered life-threatening injuries, either.The crash occurred shortly before noon, according to the Georgetown Fire Department. Officials said the plane's occupants were coming back from breakfast in Kerrville, Texas, when the plane began experiencing engine failure. "[The pilot] just veered away from the apartment complex … and I believe he just had to make that split-second decision and ditched it into a single home instead," City of Georgetown Battalion Chief Scott Gibson said. Teen banned for 3 years after ‘skip lagging’ flight hack: family Nexstar's KXAN spoke with a witness who went into the house to help pull the plane's occupants — a man and two women — out of the wreckage."They were in really good condition considering what happened," said Dylan King, who ...

Whitest-ever paint could help keep the world cooler, researchers say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:41 GMT

(NewsNation) — The whitest-ever paint, which aims to boost the cooling of buildings and tackle climate change, has been produced by scientists at Purdue University."When the worst heat waves come -- that is, life-threatening -- our white paint can reduce roof temps by 8 degrees Fahrenheit that can further cool down interior space," said Xiulin Ruan, a Purdue University professor of mechanical engineering. "So that can really change from a life-threatening situation to maybe not so comfortable but no longer life-threatening." This leads to less need for air conditioning and the carbon emissions it produces. Unlike air conditioners, the paint, featured in the "Guinness World Records" as the whitest, doesn't need energy to work, and it doesn't warm the outside air. Since 2014, Ruan has refined this chemical makeup, but how could paint possibly save lives and cool some of these heat-related costs?"It emits the infrared heat like our human body. We emit heat all the time," Ruan exp...

Lowe's worker punched by shoplifting suspect, then fired, gets her job back

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:41 GMT

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – A woman fired from her job at Lowe's after being assaulted during an attempt to stop suspected shoplifters is heading back to work.In a statement to Nexstar's WSAV, Lowe's said senior management spoke to Donna Hansbrough on Monday to give her the job back. Hansbrough, who spent 13 years working for the company, accepted the offer.Hansbrough's injury (Courtesy of the Effingham County Sheriff's Office)"First and foremost, there’s nothing more important than the safety of our customers and associates. Products can be replaced; people cannot," Lowe's stated. "We continue to work closely with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those who are responsible for this theft and violent attack." Man attacked with machete during argument at Sam’s Club On June 25, Hansbrough said she saw Takyah Berry walking out of the store with a cart full of expensive equipment. When Berry allegedly failed to provide a receipt, Hansbrough chased her down, along with the two me...

Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in lecture

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:41 GMT

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (Texas Tribune) -- Joy Alonzo, a respected opioid expert, was in a panic.The Texas A&M University professor had just returned home from giving a routine lecture on the opioid crisis at the University of Texas Medical Branch when she learned a student had accused her of disparaging Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during the talk.In the few hours it took to drive from Galveston, the complaint had made its way to her supervisors, and Alonzo’s job was suddenly at risk.“I am in a ton of trouble. Please call me!” she wrote to Chandler Self, the UTMB professor who invited her to speak.Alonzo was right to be afraid. Not only were her supervisors involved, but so was Chancellor John Sharp, a former state comptroller who now holds the highest-ranking position in the Texas A&M University System, which includes 11 public universities and 153,000 students. And Sharp was communicating directly with the lieutenant governor’s office about the incident, promising swift ...

Prairie Lea student dies in crash over weekend in Caldwell County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Four Prairie Lea ISD students were in a car accident over the weekend that left one student dead, the school district's athletic director said Monday. Dominic "DJ" Cubit died after a car accident that happened Sunday afternoon, the district said. Three other students had minor injuries from the crash. "Dominic “DJ” Cubit was more than the honor roll student and All-District athlete that those outside of the Prairie Lea school saw," Prairie Lea ISD said in a Facebook post. "He was the young man that always looked out for others, the first one to volunteer to help when needed and the last person to back away from a challenge. He was a friend to all and when you spent time with him, no matter who you were, you felt like you were his best friend."The accident happened in around 2:30 p.m. Sunday on Stairtown Loop, just west of State Highway 80 in Caldwell County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. A trooper found one passenger ejected from a Chevrolet Equ...