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Salt could be key ingredient for clean energy transition, UT Austin researchers say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Salt! Its one of the most common seasonings/condiments on the planet. Every kitchen has it. For thousands of years, it has been a key ingredient in our civilization and now, University of Texas in Austin researchers say, it could be important to our transition to a cleaner future."Historically, salt formations have been associated with oil and gas exploration and production," said Lorena Moscardelli, Director at the State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery Program at UT's Bureau of Economic Geology.In a new paper published last month in Tektonika, researchers with Moscardelli's team argued for the role salt could play. "I think in the next five years, we will we will start to see this implemented," Moscardelli said.Lead author and UT research scientist Oliver Duffy pointed to salt domes in the Gulf of Mexico as an example. "Salt dorms can be 10 or so kilometers tall," Duffy said. Some can be larger the Mount Everest.This diorama of a salt dome shows its size. Each o...

'I don't want to be homeless': Texas rent relief gets over 10K applications in just hours

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) reopened the Texas Rent Relief (TRR) application portal from March 14-28. The program offers rental and utility assistance with COVID-19 federal emergency rental funds. According to the state agency, as of 11:30am Tuesday, they received more than 10,000 applications. Texas rent relief program applications now open It caused some delayed load times on the website for applicants like Eva Cortez."I clicked on it, and it wasn't loading. I was like, I'm just gonna leave it there and see if it loads, and then eventually it loaded," Cortez said. Cortez lives in Austin and is facing eviction. She said without this assistance, she won't be able to afford her apartment. "I have a son, too. So I don't want to be homeless," Cortez said. The program is accepting applications for the remaining $96 million in rent relief funds. It's aimed at helping 15,000 households. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Texas taps into federal fundi...

First major US railroad merger in 2 decades will go forward

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

The way has been cleared for the first major railroad merger in more than two decades after federal regulators approved Canadian Pacific’s $31 billion acquisition of Kansas City Southern.The two railroads are the nation’s two smallest, but the approval Wednesday by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board comes after a lengthy and arduous review because their coupling will create the only railroad linking Canada, Mexico and the United States.The Transportation Board said that the new direct service “new direct will facilitate the flow of grain from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast and Mexico, the movement of intermodal goods between Dallas and Chicago and the trade in automotive parts, finished vehicles, and other containerized mixed goods between the United States and Mexico.”The board said the transaction, which will have little to no track redundancies or overlapping routes, is also expected to add more than 800 new union jobs in the U.S.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s...

The height of domestic luxury? Designer ice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

Nobody loves ice more than Americans. It’s a running joke, a quirk of the national personality: Iced drinks are as American as rock ’n’ roll, pickup trucks and to-go cups.Way back in 1895, Mark Twain wrote that ice had become so inextricably linked with the United States that “there is but a single specialty with us, only one thing that can be called by the wide name ‘American.’ That is the national devotion to ice-water.”For years to come, all ice was good ice. But now it’s entering a new Gilded Age. Frozen water, which costs most Americans virtually nothing, is being redefined as a luxury item.At fashion-brand parties, ice cubes stamped with the company’s logo are de rigueur. On tables at high-end weddings, fairy lights in Mason jars are out and wildflowers suspended in $14 ice cubes are in. TikTok creators routinely draw 30 million views overnight (and sizable paychecks) by showing off stocked ice drawers, along with retail links for buying specialty ice molds in all shapes and s...

03/15/2023: Windy backside of the nor'easter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

The latest Storm Tracker Forecast from Meteorologist Jill Szwed.Happy Wednesday! Where's the nor'easter now? It's sitting in the Gulf of Maine and still churning snow bands back through eastern New York and western New England. The Capital Region is in the clear and the roads are looking better. The snow that is falling now wraps up by lunchtime. Additional accumulations are expected in the Catskills and western New England. These areas have already picked up two, even three feet of snow. For everyone else, snow and clouds clear out today.As you dig out today, remember to take it easy. This is an incredibly dense snowpack. Clear the snow at your house in stages and don't overdo it, especially if you're shoveling.The snow is moving out but impacts from the nor'easter will still be felt today. The main focus is the wind today and ongoing or new power outages. The wind could also blow around some of the powdery snow that fell late yesterday.The wind gusts between 40 mph to 45 mph are l...

Meet the Colonie man fixing model trains

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The Albany Train Show rolls into town this Saturday at the Polish Community Center. Ahead of the event, we’re introducing you to a railroad enthusiast in Colonie that’s making a name for himself for restoring model trains. Schenectady resident shows off impressive train display Whether you are a seasoned collector or thinking about building your first layout, the Albany Train Show has a tradition of having something for everyone. With more than 100 tables of trains and train-related items, their experts will be on hand to answer all of your train questions. There will be people available to do free appraisals of your attic and basement treasures if you'd like to find out what your trains are worth. As always, live working layouts will be on display to delight railroad enthusiasts of all ages. All aboard! Stillwater man shows off vintage train collection A special highlight for the event is a clinic to show people how to make realistic miniature tr...

18-year-old dies in snowmobile crash, police investigate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An 18-year-old from Fonda died from a snowmobile crash in Gloversville on Tuesday, and police are currently investigating. Skyler Olmstead was pronounced dead at Nathan Littauer Hospital following the crash. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Around 9:13 p.m., Gloversville Police responded to the area of 30A, just South of the intersection of S. Kingsboro Avenue for a report of a snowmobile crash. Police found the snowmobile rider unconscious, accompanied by other riders and a passerby attempting to give aid. The unconscious rider was identified as Olmstead. Members of the Gloversville Fire Department and GAVAC arrived on the scene to treat Olmstead and ultimately took him to Nathan Littauer Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 9:51 p.m.Police say the circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation. Police believe the accident only involved the snowmobile Olmstead was...

Kim Gardner files response to attorney general lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A spokesperson from the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office announced Tuesday night that Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner had filed her motion in response to the attorney general's lawsuit. Her filing denies wrongdoing and asks the courts to dismiss the lawsuit.  You can read the court documents here.Last month, a judge said Gardner had until Tuesday's deadline to respond; if not, she would face a judgment by default.Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey had filed quo warranto a petition to remove Gardner from office in February. Bailey said she failed to do her duties. Gardner responded to the accusations, saying she would not step down and defend her action in the Riley case."To state a claim, then, a quo warranto petition must allege the official engaged in a corrupt intentional act of misconduct or a corrupt intentional failure to act in the performance ofofficial duties, and a mere failure of such a duty is insufficient. In short, Mr. Bailey must allege a willful and ...

See St. Louis Zoo sea lions in 'spring training'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The Cardinals aren't the only ones in spring training these days.The sea lions at the St. Louis Zoo are also getting ready for their spring performances. Weather permitting, the spring training shows are taking place daily through March 26 at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Trending: Daughter roasts Alton dad in sweet and funny obit Tickets are $2 per person for those ages two and up. Children under two are free. FOX 2's Chris Regnier spoke with sea lion trainer Angela Hamburg about what goes into the trainer and how the weather affects the sea lions at this time

Busload of Books tours lands in St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The husband and wife illustrator/author/business team duo Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr, are currently on their yearlong Busload of Books tours, visiting Title 1 schools in all 50 states giving away 25,000 books.They will also be visiting a Native American reservation along the way. They're halfway through their exciting 50+ date tour, which will end in Alaska this summer. The stories they have of meeting children and teachers will truly tug at your heartstrings.  They came to a Ferguson Central Primary School on March 14 and 15, and they've partnered with First Book and Build-A-Bear to give away an additional 125,000 books by more authors to Title 1 educators. Trending: Daughter roasts Alton dad in sweet and funny obit In order to do this, they raised an enormously successful GoFundMe campaign last year, which is helping to fund this tour. The couple is traveling with their four kids and pets in their colorful book bus. The family heads to the Tulsa, Oklahoma area ne...