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'Our children deserve more': Austin ISD board approves TEA plan for state-appointed monitor

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:48:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) --  After weeks of delaying a vote, Austin Independent School District board trustees voted on Tuesday 8-1 to approve a plan for the Texas Education Agency to bring in a state-appointed official to monitor and report back to the agency the way the district handles special education services. Trustee Kevin Foster was the only member who voted to reject the proposal. The decision means the district remains in control of its special education operations for now. But it also means the district must meet several deadlines and requirements, including changing its school board policy, to stave off a conservator who would have the power to make decisions on special education operations. In order to get a less severe form of intervention than originally recommended, the district also waived its right to appeal increased sanctions in the event it is found out of compliance. "I've spent a lot of time thinking about this and making a decision that will be ...

Pflugerville police search for missing woman last heard from in August

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:48:22 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN Live’s top headlines for Sept. 27, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Pflugerville police are searching for a missing woman who they say was last seen or heard from in mid-August.They said Asma Amattul Al-Hadi, 30, would spend time in Pflugerville and Austin. She may need medical attention.Asma Amattul Al-Hadi (Pflugerville Police Department Photo)She's described as 5'3" and 125 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone who knows where she is should call Pflugerville police at (512) 990-6700.

Study finds maternal link between drinking diet soda daily while pregnant and autism in boys

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:48:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A team led by UT Health San Antonio researchers found in a new study a link between autism diagnosis in boys and their mothers drinking at least one diet soda daily or consuming an equivalent amount of the sweetener aspartame during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. The researchers did not find a statistically significant association with girls. For the study, the researchers asked the parents of 235 children with an autism spectrum disorder and 121 children without autism, who were the study’s controls, to complete a retrospective questionnaire about their diet soda and aspartame intake while pregnant or breastfeeding their kids. The team found that boys with autism had more than three times the likelihood of having a mother who drank diet soda daily while pregnant or breastfeeding than boys without autism.  MORE: Why it is more difficult to diagnose girls with autism than boys “These associations do not prove causality but taken in concert with reports ...

'Struggling to eat': Thousands of Texans wait months for SNAP benefits

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:48:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas' Democratic Congressional Delegation is urging the federal government to take "corrective action" against the state Health and Human Services Commission, citing delays in processing food assistance applications that whistleblowers say have denied food assistance to thousands.In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Monday, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and 12 other U.S. House Democrats said Texas has failed to comply with federal requirements by delaying the administration of aid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. They said Texas has not met a 30-day requirement for states to process SNAP applications and recertification since July 2021. KXAN INVESTIGATION: SNAP applications processing faster, backlog and concerns over benefit cuts continues The group of Texas Democrats alleges that families waited over 100 days for their applications to be assigned for review. Whistleblower employees inside the agency worry that wait could reach 200 days...

Son of Egg in Albany closes until further notice

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:48:22 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Son of Egg, a Korean-American restaurant, has closed its Albany location until further notice. An employee at Son of Egg's Rensselaer location confirmed the closure. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The building that houses Son of Egg at 418 Madison Avenue in Albany has some structural issues and is unsafe, said the employee. Owners Min Cho Ko and Justin Ko are working with the building's owners to see what has to happen to reopen the restaurant.The Kos opened Son of Egg in Albany during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. They opened the Rensselaer location at 483 Broadway in 2022. Son of Egg owners recognized for local contributions The Son of Egg menu includes the Son of Egg sandwich, chicken, bulgogi, and tofu sandwiches and bowls, fried kimchi, dumplings, and more. You can view the full menu on the Son of Egg website.Although the Albany restaurant is currently closed, the Rensselaer location is still o...

NY Schools ordered to stop using facial recognition technology

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:48:22 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The New York State Education Department (NYSED) issued an order to stop schools in the state from purchasing or using facial recognition technology on Wednesday. The order came in light of a biometric identifying technology in schools report from the Office of Information Technology Services. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! NYSED Commissioner Betty Rosa concluded that "serious" concerns surrounding the use of facial recognition technology don't outweigh the claimed benefits. However, schools can decide to use biometric identifying technology other than facial recognition as long as they consider the technology's privacy implications, impact on civil rights, effectiveness, and parental input.

'Omega Block' delaying fall temperatures in the Midwest

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:48:22 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- What happened to the fall weather? It is nearly October and a lot of Midwesterners want to know when it will start showing up in the forecast. The National Weather Service says that an Omega Block is shifting the jet stream over the Midwest, near Canada. This is keeping the cooler temperatures along the coasts while the center of the country remains warm and dry.Omega Block jet stream patternThe chance for rain is over after the storms rolled out of the area Wednesday morning. The rest of the week will be sunny and dry with above-average temperatures. Average highs this time of year are in the upper 70s. Forecast highs are well into the 80s. Adam Wainwright says he has thrown his final pitch The Omega Block is expected to stick around from Thursday until early next week. The pattern in the jet stream gets its name from its resemblance to the Greek letter Ω.Meteorologist Glenn Zimmerman explained during his long-range fall weather forecast that the first freeze near St...

Mercy invests in AI services, aiming to transform patient care in St. Louis and beyond

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:48:22 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Mercy health system plans to use artificial intelligence-based services in the future in hopes to enhance patient care nationwide. As one of the largest U.S. health systems, Mercy is working with the Microsoft Corp. on a long-term collaboration plan using generative AI. Mercy officials say AI can offer several benefits, such as navigating digital records, correcting potential errors, and offering tools to assist medical staff. Centene to cut 3% of workforce; St. Louis impact unknown "We are better positioned to perform real-time clinical decision-making that ultimately improves patient care,” said Joe Kelly, Mercy’s executive vice president of transformation and business development officer. “With Microsoft, we are exploring more than four dozen uses of AI and will launch multiple new AI use cases by the middle of next year to transform care and experiences for patients and co-workers. This is predictive, proactive, and personalized care at its best.”Mercy plans to us...

New tropical storm could form this week, NHC says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:48:22 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The National Hurricane Center is continuing to watch Tropical Storm Philippe and a disturbance, which is expected to become the next named storm.The NHC said it is watching an area of showers and thunderstorms that continue to show signs of organization.The system is located about halfway between the Cabo Verde Islands and the Lesser Antilles. Hurricane Ian victim told roof can be repaired, but roofers say it must be replaced It could become a tropical depression or a tropical storm in the next day or so while it moves west-northwest across the central tropical Atlantic. The system has a 90 percent chance of development over the next two days. If the storm forms, it will become Rina, the 17th named storm of the season.Meteorologists said if the system forms, it will likely stay out to sea.The NHC is also tracking Tropical Storm Philippe. Philippe has maximum sustained winds near 45 mph and is expected to weaken over the next few days.The system is located abou...

Granite City woman charged in boyfriend killing

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:48:22 GMT

GRANITE CITY, Ill. -- A woman is under arrest for the death of a former boyfriend. Tara Anderson, 37, is facing murder charges in the fatal shooting of Phillip Armstrong, 39, of Granite City. A judge has ordered her to be held in police custody until her detention hearing.Police were called to the 1400 block of Madison Avenue on the evening of September 24 for a report of a shooting. They found Armstrong's body in the road with a gunshot wound to the chest. Centene to cut 3% of workforce; St. Louis impact unknown A witness tells police that he was with Armstrong when Anderson came out of her home, yelling at him. A shot rang out after she went back inside the home.Police searched the home and found a single spent .45 caliber gun casing on her porch. A .45 caliber handgun was found in her basement with Anderson's fingerprint on the magazine.