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Two Central Texas cities named among 'coziest winter towns' in the country

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:58:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — While a white Christmas in Central Texas is unlikely, there's still plenty of opportunities to have a cozy holiday season.In fact, two local cities have been named among the 'coziest winter towns' in America in a new ranking by New York Travel Guides.Marble Falls ranks 40th on the list, while Fredericksburg ranks 96th. No other cities in Texas made the top 100. LIST: Holiday light events in Central Texas The website compared 575 small towns across the country and graded them in three categories: popularity during the winter with the public and photographers, 'cozy weather,' and cozy activities and atmosphere, such as festivals, historic performing arts theaters and coffee shops.Marble Falls has several holiday events throughout the season, including the Walkway of Lights. The display is open nightly until Dec. 31, featuring two million lights and more than 350 lighted sculptures.In Fredericksburg, the Christmas Nights of Lights runs nightly through Jan. 7. A 10-min...

Fire burns southeast Austin apartment; firefighter hospitalized

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:58:48 GMT

Editor’s note: The above video shows KXAN News Today’s morning headlines for Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin-Travis County EMS took an Austin firefighter to the hospital following a fire at a southeast Austin apartment complex Thursday morning, according to the Austin Fire Department.AFD said the firefighter's injury was non-life threatening and was not smoke or fire-related but gave no other details.According to AFD, fire crews were called to the Solaris Apartments on Burton Drive at Woodland Avenue just before 6 a.m. for a report of a roof on fire. AFD said the fire was contained to one apartment unit and no one was displaced. According to AFD, the apartment manager said the unit was not currently rented but AFD also said it was not known if the apartment was empty.Austin Fire Department respond to a fire at Solaris Apartments in southeast Austin. (Austin Fire Info)Austin Fire Department respond to a fire at Solaris Apartments in southeast Austin. (Austin Fire Info)...

Weekend cold front puts an end to recent warmth

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:58:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Couple more days of mild afternoon weather before Mother Nature pulls the rug out from underneath us.Afternoon highs will return to the upper 60s today under a sky mixed with filtered sunshine and high clouds. Winds will begin to increase out of the south late in the day today before they really get going on Friday.These gusty south winds will help boost temperatures to unseasonably warm levels - expect Friday afternoon highs to soar well into the 70s across the board.Weekend cold frontWHAT: Strong Pacific cold frontWHEN: Hill Country - 8AM-11AM / Austin-metro - 10AM-2PM / Eastern counties - 2PM-5PM IMPACTS: gusty north winds, low rain chance and cooler temperaturesSpotty rain showers will likely develop along and head of the cold front, mainly over the I-35 corridor eastward. Rainfall accumulation looks very light (a few tenths of an inch at best).Spotty rain squeezes out along and ahead of Saturday's cold frontGusty winds will hit next with winds out of the north ...

John Mannillo: Keep rules that require openness for sale of city property

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:58:48 GMT

At its Dec. 13 meeting, the St. Paul City Council will hear a proposed change to how it can dispose of its unneeded property. It is intended to change existing rules that were established to ensure an open and honest process.Five years ago, I received an email from the City Planning Department (PED) using its early notification system. It said that they were planning to sell a city-owned 6,200-square-foot downtown plaza, on Robert Street, near Fifth Street. in the center of downtown, to an adjoining owner, Madison Equities. The amount agreed on was only $2,500, or about 40 cents per foot.This was a great deal for Madison Equities. It looked like a special favor to me. The true value was about $50 per foot.The City of St. Paul had its own appraisal for $30,000, while Ramsey County had it valued at $326,000. St. Paul’s Planning and Economic Development Dept. explained that the city’s valuation was so low because the plaza was an unbuildable location.Being buildable isn’t t...

Six survivors of Pearl Harbor attack are returning to honor those who perished 82 years ago

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:58:48 GMT

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii  — Ira “Ike” Schab had just showered, put on a clean sailor’s uniform and closed his locker aboard the USS Dobbin when he heard a call for a fire rescue party.He went topside to see the USS Utah capsizing and Japanese planes in the air. He scurried back below deck to grab boxes of ammunition and joined a daisy chain of sailors feeding shells to an anti-aircraft gun up above. He remembers being only 140 pounds as a 21-year-old, but somehow finding the strength to lift boxes weighing almost twice that.“We were pretty startled. Startled and scared to death,” Schab, now 103, said at his home in Beaverton, Oregon, where he lives with his daughter. “We didn’t know what to expect and we knew that if anything happened to us, that would be it.”Eighty-two years later, Schab plans to return to Pearl Harbor Thursday on the anniversary of the attack to remember the more than 2,300 servicemen killed. He’s expected to be one of just six survivors at a ceremony commemorating th...

St. Louis City SC'S 'City Wishlist Weekend' starting this Saturday

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:58:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Christmas is less than three weeks away and this weekend you have the perfect opportunity to buy some St. Louis City SC swag for the people on your list. There are all kinds of holiday gift ideas at the city pavilion, which is the City SC team store, and this weekend it's the 'City Wishlist Weekend.' Southern Illinois deputies recover $250K worth of drugs after 115-mile pursuit FOX 2's Chris Regnier spoke with Matt Sebek, the chief experience officer for St. Louis City SC, about what kind of merchandise City SC fans can grab. For more information, click here.

Domo owner asks guest to be patient as he reopens restaurant

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:58:48 GMT

Gaku Homma requires one thing from customers when they walk through Domo Japanese Country Restaurant’s recently reopened doors: patience.At 73 years old, the chef is still constantly on his feet, cooking, cleaning dishes and greeting guests. “I am happy to be back here, but I am busy,” he said.Homma reopened Domo, at 1365 Osage St., last month after a year hiatus, but with a smaller menu, limited hours and only four people on staff, two up front and two in the kitchen; that’s compared to the nearly 30 he had before the closure.“My hands can only hold so much,” Homma said.Domo closed temporarily in 2021 after a 40-second TikTok video of the restaurant’s beautiful outdoor gardens went viral and led to hundreds of people forming lines around the restaurant, overwhelming Homma and his staff. In September 2022, Homma appeared to have permanently closed up shop, saying he was ready to retire after running the restaurant since 1996.“I wanted to slow down, and I needed a break a...

Denver’s best New Year’s Eve parties to ring in 2024

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:58:48 GMT

The countdown is officially on to, well, the countdown.Denver is brimming with New Year’s Eve events, whether you want to attend an all-inclusive soiree, a concert or a casual party. And the holiday falling on a weekend this year makes it even more worthwhile to celebrate.Here are 15 places to say goodbye to 2023 and hello to 2024. A bonus: If you end up near the 16th Street Mall on New Year’s Eve, pop outside to enjoy a fireworks show, which will illuminate the skyline at 9 p.m. and midnight.The White Rose Gala New Year’s Eve bash at Ellie Caulkins Opera House. (Provided by White Rose Gala)Swanky soireesDenver NYE Black Tie PartyDon your best formal attire and ring in the New Year in style at the Denver NYE Black Tie Party. Guests get to enjoy an open bar, music from local DJs and cover bands, and Vegas-style casino games. There will also be a complimentary photo booth, midnight balloon drop and party favors.Dec. 31 from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at Asterisk Event Center, 1075 P...

Love Has Won documentary drew attention to Colorado cult. But did it shed light on how cults work?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:58:48 GMT

A documentary series on the Love Has Won cult, which was based in Colorado until its leader died in 2021, is bringing increased attention to its bizarre teachings about 5D ascensions, galactic communications from Robin Williams and the dangerous use of colloidal silver to cure diseases.But a group working to expose the cult’s falsehoods and rescue those trapped in it says the documentary fell short in debunking the myths and explaining how dangerous cults truly are.Amanda Ray, whose brother escaped Love Has Won after becoming entangled in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, said there were missed opportunities to show how abusive Amy Carlson, who led Love Has Won and called herself Mother God, was toward her followers.“It really was a documentary that shared the stories of the current followers just a few weeks after Amy passed,” Ray said. “They were victims of mind control. We felt there was a big missed opportunity.”“There were a lot of people...

4 spirited cocktails for Hanukkah

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:58:48 GMT

Whenever the holiday season rolls around, our thoughts often turn to religious persuasions. The word “holiday” is derived from “holy day” and those holidays seem to bunch up in December.This year, the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah starts at sundown on Thursday and lasts until sundown on Dec. 15. As holidays go, Hanukkah is not quite as solemn (nor as strict) as Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah or Passover, but it’s still a religious holiday. Depending upon your beliefs, there may, or may not be, different levels of kosher allowed or tolerated. And not everyone agrees. If they did, there wouldn’t be at least five different major kosher certification agencies. I leave all the idiosyncrasies to you and your spiritual advisor. I can only offer “spirit” advice here. So, with that in mind, here are four offerings for the holidays, all localized and kasherized (to the best of my ability) for your consumption.Jeff Burkhart is the author of “Twenty Years Behind Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real ...