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Northern Lights may not be that visible this week, experts warn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Despite previous forecasting, the Northern Lights may not actually be very visible in the U.S. this week, experts say. Over the weekend, the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks released a forecast calling for auroral activity on Thursday across 17 states spanning the northern U.S. and as far south as Indiana.The anticipated solar storm that was expected to cause the Northern Lights may not live up to the hype, experts warned Tuesday. It may not have existed to begin with, Bill Murtagh, the program coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center, told The Washington Post. A research associate professor from the Geophysical Institute, Don Hampton, said in a statement released Monday that “there are only a few satellites and instruments dedicated to collecting” the data used to forecast auroras.  We could be seeing the northern lights more often: Here’s why He added that while s...

911 call released in apparent murder-suicide of Jimmie Johnson’s in-laws, nephew

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

(WJZY/WGHP) -- The 911 call has been released in connection to an apparent murder-suicide in Oklahoma that involved a NASCAR star’s family.According to reports, Jimmie Johnson’s mother and father-in-law, 68-year-old Terry and 69-year-old Jack Janway, and his 11-year-old nephew, Dalton, died in a fatal shooting on Monday, June 26, and law enforcement sources are investigating it as a murder-suicide.A police report obtained by Nexstar’s KFOR said a 911 dispatcher received a call just after 9 p.m. Monday from a woman reporting “a disturbance” and saying someone had a gun. The caller then hung up.Below is the transcript and audio from the 911 call released Tuesday.911: 911. Police, fire, or ambulance? Caller: Police911: Okay, where at? Caller: [Address removed] 911: What's going on?Caller: There's somebody here with a gun911: Do you know who this person is? Caller: ...911: Do you know who it is? Police searching the home found one body in the hallway inside the front door...

MyPillow auctions off equipment amid 'massive cancellation,' CEO Lindell says 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

MyPillow is auctioning off hundreds of pieces of equipment and subleasing some manufacturing spaces amid what founder and CEO Mike Lindell calls “a massive, massive cancellation."Lindell, in an interview with the Star Tribune, said MyPillow lost $100 million from “attacks by box stores, the shopping networks, the shopping channels, all of them did cancel culture on us.”Several retailers, including Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Kohl’s, pulled MyPillow products from their shelves after Lindell continued to claim the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Trump.   The Chaska-based manufacturing company appears to be using the website K-BID Online Auctions, where they're auctioning items including forklifts, conveyors belts, printers, electronics, commercial supplies and more.  Lindell said he can replace any auctioned items if the retailers "ever came back." Lindell told the Star Tribune that the company is subleasing some of its manu...

Where will the next MLB All-Star Games be held?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Some of the MLB’s brightest stars will take the field Tuesday night for the league’s historic exhibition game — rightly named the MLB All-Star Game — at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. It will be the 80th such game, featuring baseball’s best, like Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Atlanta Braves shortstop Ronald Acuña Jr., both contenders for the MVP title in their respective leagues.Winners will walk away with more than just bragging rights, too. Per the MLB’s collective bargaining agreement, they’ll also earn some extra cash. Cha-ching: Here’s how much extra money MLB All-Star, Home Run Derby players get It’s been 22 years since Seattle last hosted the MLB All-Star Game, an event that’s expected to bring in over $50 million in economic activity for the city, the Seattle Times reports. This is the third time the home of the Mariners is serving as the host after a competitive selection process that began in 2020 when the team and the Seattle Sports Commis...

'I Luv Video' revival nonprofit 'We Luv Video' opening soon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Get ready, Austin film fans! The revival of an Austin video shop is close to opening. Austin video library I Luv Video closed in September 2020 after 40 years. At the time, owner Conrad Bejarano said on Facebook he hoped to "pass the torch" to someone who could preserve the video library and open it to the Austin community. PREVIOUS REPORTING: Austin nonprofit reviving I Luv Video’s at-home movie, TV rentals We Luv Video hopes to do just that. The nonprofit's goal is to preserve physical media in Austin, especially for unique films that you can't find on a streaming platform. Beau Harris, a We Luv Video board member, said they hope to open later in July after delays postponed their original July 1 grand opening. We Luv Video is opening in the North Loop neighborhood. (KXAN Photo/Taylor Girtman)We Luv Video is opening in the North Loop neighborhood. (KXAN Photo/Taylor Girtman)We Luv Video is opening in the North Loop neighborhood. (KXAN Photo/Taylor Girtman)We Luv...

Wimberley farmer catches two porcupines that were eating his crop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Sky Cutler is the owner and lead farmer at the Dirty Candy Farm in Wimberley. At the beginning of spring, Cutler noticed large bite marks in much of his produce, particularly in some of his heirloom tomatoes. He thought the culprits were raccoons or opossums, which he’s seen before, and set up a trap – which wouldn't harm the animals – to catch them. “I moved [the trap] closer to the tomatoes and put some old tomatoes in there,” Cutler said. A couple of weeks went by until one day he was riding his motorcycle past the traps, “and I just like, skid to a stop,” he said. Inside the traps were two porcupines. “I wasn't really expecting porcupines. I've seen their footprints around the property but never really in the garden,” Culter said. “Just super surprising to catch two of them at the same time.” “I don't blame them. It's hot out… so them going after the tomatoes is totally understandable,” Cutler said. He said the fact they are porcupines and “really ...

Unrelenting July heatwave intensifies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Temperatures are holding at about 10 degrees hotter than normal each afternoon this week as Austin bakes in its third-hottest start to July on record.A Heat Advisory continues through Wednesday night and will likely be extended into the coming weekend as afternoon "feels like" temperatures rise to between 108-112° -- dangerous levels for those spending time outdoors.A strong upper-level ridge of high pressure may lead to all-time record high temperatures in Las Vegas, NV later this week, and refuses to loosen its grip on our local weather for the next 1-2 weeks. Triple-digit high temperatures and dry weather continue for the foreseeable future.Forecast high temperatures Wednesday NEW BLOG: How this summer’s heat compares to last year in Austin Summer Fan DriveOur Summer Fan Drive is underway! Please click here to find out how you can make an online donation and learn more about Family Eldercare's Summer Fan Drive event with KXAN on Friday. Several of our KXAN staf...

Average rent in Travis County hits $1,700 a month, report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A report looking at five Central Texas counties found despite slight reprieve, rent and home prices are still going up year-over-year. Across five counties in our Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) -- Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Williamson and Travis -- home sale prices increased overall by nearly 8% from 2021 to 2022. The median home price across the MSA was more than $500,000 last year, according to the report.While more expensive prices have historically been concentrated in Austin, the report shows the counties with the largest increases in average rent prices were actually the exterior counties as people were pushed out of central Austin. Austinites voted for more affordable housing. Where did your money go? The report noted that Travis County continues to see the highest average rent price at more than $1,700, but that counties at the outskirts of the MSA -- Bastrop and Caldwell -- saw the highest percent increase in average rent from the year prior hitting a...

NATO summit kicks off in Lithuania, Turkey on board with Sweden joining alliance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) -- The 74th NATO summit kicked off today with a show of unity with Turkey now on board with Sweden joining the alliance.Just hours before the 31 members of the NATO alliance gathered in Lithuania for their annual summit, NATO's secretary general announced Turkey has agreed to support Sweden's bid to join the military alliance after nearly a year of opposition."This is this is good for Sweden, Sweden will become a full member of the alliance. It's good for Turkey because Turkey is NATO ally that will benefit from a stronger NATO," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.The president of Turkey said he first needs to send the accession protocol to the Turkish parliament for approval.White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan applauded the deal, which would allow Sweden to become the 32nd member of NATO."While this deal was, of course, the product of direct talks among the three parties to that agreement - NATO, Turkey and Sweden, the United States ha...

Beautifying your home parkway the sustainable way

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's a part of your home landscape that you might not consider when making your yards look pretty. It's called the parkway. The parkway lives between the curb and the sidewalk. Most homeowners don't think about making their parkway better looking. But homeowner Gary Citron and his wife updated their parkway to have more than just turf grass. They not only wanted to make it more aesthetically pleasing, but they also wanted to do it sustainably.Gary's wife was a volunteer at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center. She learned about sustainable landscaping giving the Citrons a leg up on what they needed to do for theirs. They needed to determine what plants and bedding would do well in this Texas weather so, obviously, they want with drought-tolerant plants.The landscaping was done in just a single day by three people. Plants that now adorn their parkway include Gulf Meuhli, Big Meuhli, Berkeley Sedge and San Luis Sedge. Woolly Stemodia was the choice of ground cover. T...