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Pakistani police say 2 blasts at facility in NW kill 12

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:46 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Two explosions Monday at a counterterrorism police facility in northwest Pakistan killed at least 12 people and wounded at least 50, police said.Senior police officer Ataullah Khan said an initial blast at the facility in the Swat Valley district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was followed by a larger, more intense one.No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but in recent months, the Pakistani Taliban have claimed similar attacks after ending a cease-fire with the government last year.Khan said part of the building collapsed and rescue workers retrieved three bodies and 30 of the wounded people. He said the death toll could increase.The police complex also houses the Kabal city police station and the headquarters of a reserve police force but the main damage was done at the counterterrorism department building, Khan said. The picturesque Swat Valley once had been the stronghold of Islamic militants who imposed strict Sharia rule there until...

Kenyan cult deaths at 73, president likens them to terrorism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:46 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan President William Ruto on Monday compared the dozens of starvation deaths among the followers of a pastor in the south of the country with the results of terrorist acts, as the new death toll rose to 73.He maintained that the pastor, Paul Makenzi, who is in police custody, should be in prison.“What we are seeing … is akin to terrorism,” Ruto said. “Mr. Makenzi … pretends and postures as a pastor when in fact he is a terrible criminal.”Makenzi was arrested on suspicion of telling his followers to fast to death in order to meet Jesus. A group of emaciated people were rescued alive, but some of them later died. Authorities then turned their attention to dozens of shallow graves marked with crosses on Makenzi’s 800-acre ranch.The total death toll now stands at 73, with 26 new bodies exhumed on Monday, Malindi sub-county police chief John Kemboi told the Associated Press.Kemboi said investigators had received reinforcements and w...

Activists call to a raise minimum wage for tipped workers in Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:46 GMT

CHICAGO — Restaurant workers and union activists are advocating for a raise in minimum wage for tipped workers in Chicago and across the country. Lobbyists are calling to raise the minimum wage to $15 for tipped employees. While the city of Chicago states it has a minimum wage of $15, it does not apply to tipped workers.In Illinois, tipped workers have a minimum wage of $7.80 an hour, and nationally, a wage of $2.13 an hour, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Bed Bath & Beyond files for bankruptcy, all stores set to close "That has been a big problem for a population that is overwhelming women, disproportionately women of color and we have the highest rate of single moms of any occupation in the United States, in Illinois and in Chicago," Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage said. Restaurant employees are required to pay for a mandatory food safety certification program every few years, activists said.

Facing the potential of more severe storms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:46 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- If you have yet to do so we suggest downloading our KXAN Weather App to your smart phone so you can get the most updated weather information available.The rest of this day will be peaceful. Enjoy it because storms are coming back. Some sun did bust through the morning overcast as clearing moved in from the south eroding some of the overcast. Thus, the only weather question for today is how much of that clearing will continue. SATURDAY NIGHT HAIL AS LARGE AS TENNIS BALLS FOR SOME The surface winds will be shifting to come out of the southeast during the afternoon and evening returning Gulf moisture to the area. A mid-level disturbance heading here will interact with that moisture for an increasing risk of showers and thunderstorms beginning late Tuesday afternoon. Storms are expected to last through the evening. Storm development will largely depend on whether the "lid" in our atmosphere breaks (formally known as the "cap"), but current thinking points to this lid ...

Texas House passes bill in attempt to save Fairfield Lake State Park from closure, development

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:46 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for April 24, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas House of Representatives has passed a bill in an attempt to save a popular state park from permanent closure and development into a private community. The measure now moves to the state Senate.Fairfield Lake State Park, about 70 miles east of Waco, was closed to the public at the end of February, after almost 50 years in operation. It has since temporarily reopened but is slated for permanent closure later this summer.The House approved House Bill 4757 Friday by a vote of 131-8, a show of bipartisan support.The bill would require the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to approve any application for new or amended water rights related to Fairfield Lake, as well as adjoining Big Brown Creek. Parks and Wildlife officials had previously raised concerns about how the developer planned to use the water.Right now, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality&nb...

Austin couple surprises each other with double proposal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:46 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An Austin couple got engaged over the weekend in a surprising but sweet turn of events. Stevie and Joey both brought engagement rings on a date at Peter Pan Mini-Golf they had planned with mutual friends Saturday, both without knowing what was up the other's sleeve. Austin teen becomes published author, illustrator Stevie's sibling sent KXAN a video of the proposal and said Stevie was planning to propose to their girlfriend Joey, had a date planned out with mutual friends of theirs, and planned to pop the question... until Joey got down on one knee and proposed to Stevie on the same date.Stevie can be heard in the video responding by saying, "I have something for you," and pulled out a ring, got down on one knee and proposed right back to Joey. Stevie explained they planned on proposing later that day, "but here we are!"They both said yes. "Stevie has been through a lot in life and I am so happy that they were able to find love, with someone who loves them just as...

Ancient Roman bust discovered at Austin Goodwill heading back to Europe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:46 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In a $35 purchase at an Austin Goodwill Store nearly five years ago, resident Laura Young helped discover a lost piece of ancient Roman artwork. ICYMI: How did an ancient Roman bust land in an Austin Goodwill store? Young first purchased the marble bust from Austin's Goodwill Store on Far West Boulevard in August 2018. An antiques procurer, she knew right away there must've been a storied history behind the art piece. What she didn't realize was that story wound its way back to first century A.D. Rome.How did an ancient Roman bust end up in Austin?Prior to Young's discovery in a secondhand thrift store, the last known location of the bust dates back to a museum in Aschaffenburg, Germany during the height of World War II, San Antonio Museum of Art specialists told KXAN in May 2022. Lynley McAlpine, a postdoctoral curatorial fellow at SAMA, said museum lootings were commonly conducted by infiltrating armies throughout the war.Austin resident Laura Young discovered a...

School safety center stage in Texas House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:46 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- The Texas House of Representatives on Monday will consider three bills that aim to improve school safety and security by mandating armed officers in every campus, providing more funding for infrastructure enhancements, and adding new guidelines for safety protocols.House Bill 3 is the legislature's most comprehensive overhaul of safety policies and procedures, authored by State. Rep. Dustin Burrows, the Lubbock Republican who chaired the House investigation of the Robb Elementary mass shooting.The bill would require every public school district to place at least one armed school security officer or staff member on every campus. The bill will also create a minimum school safety allotment for every district of at least $10 for every student and $15,000 per campus. Districts must use that additional funding to improve school safety in ways such as hiring officers and school safety directors, installing barriers and security cameras, and providing mental health perso...

Austin teen becomes published author, illustrator

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:46 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Not everyone can say they've published a book during their lifetime -- but that's an achievement one Austin high school senior is crossing off her bucket list.Jing Graber, a senior at Regents School of Austin, wrote and illustrated the book, "Can You Sea Me?" The children's picture book published in late February, inspired by Graber's own love for the ocean and marine biology. POPULAR NOW: Missing Austin dog reunited with family nearly 1 year later "I grew up in Austin, Texas, so I was always very far away from the coast. But I would read these children's picture books when I was little, and the stunning illustrations and all of that would really teach me to love the ocean and see it as almost like a magical place," she said. "So when I was finally able to go to the beach for the first time, it's been my passion ever since."An artist since childhood, the specific idea for a children's book first came when the title randomly popped into her head. From there, she wa...

Caribbean restaurant opening in Troy's River Street Market

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:46 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Pataconia, a Caribbean restaurant, is set to open in Troy's River Street Market this summer. The eatery will be run by Chef Riany Mena and his wife Alexa. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Mena said his wife is originally from the Capital Region. He is from the Dominican Republic. "Dominican culture is full of love, family, friends and especially food, which we want to share with the Troy community," said Mena."We came up with the name 'Pataconia' over our love for Patacones, a sandwich consisting of a protein and greens between two fried plantains," said Mena. "This sandwich is a staple in Caribbean cuisine and will be the main dish on our menu." Mother’s Day restaurant specials in the Capital Region Korean BBQ Beef Patacone (photo courtesy: Riany Mena)Teriyaki Cauliflower Patacone (photo courtesy: Riany Mena)The menu also features pastelitos, or empanadas, and rice bowls. Mena said they would event...