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New pop-up course hopes to prepare Austin residents for the worst

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new pop-up training course is hoping to keep the citizens of Austin safer. The City of Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, or Austin HSEM, held a class on basic emergency preparedness called "Ready Together" on September 28th at the Montopolis Recreation & Community Center. The 2-hour course covered the four steps of emergency preparedness, which Austin HSEM describes as making a plan, building a kit, knowing your neighbors, and staying informed. It was developed in part by organizations like Ascension Seton and the University of Texas Medical Reserve Corps. Austin HSEM Director Ken Snipes said, “Our residents who take this class will be more self-reliant and better prepared.”This was the first time Ready Together was held, but Austin HSEM plans to host more of them in the future. Those upcoming training dates and more information on how to prepare can be found here.

East Austin affordable housing development to begin construction next month

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin's Housing Department has officially closed on $74.5 million to help finance affordable, multi-family housing in East Austin. Construction on Phase 1 of the development, referred to as Seabrook Square 1, is meant to start in October. The Housing Department says the 204-unit, multi-family apartment building will be built at 3511 and 3515 Manor Road, now addressed as 2210 Pershing Drive. Construction of Phase 2, which consists of  60 units of permanent supporting housing, is meant to start next year, with the entire project hoping to be completed in 2026. The development is financed mainly through a $40 million bond from the City of Austin. It's named after Dr. John Jarvis Seabrook, a Black educator and pastor, who was the president of Huston-Tillotson University from 1955 to 1965.

New shade structures in East Austin make it easier to enjoy the outdoors

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Parks Foundation made it easier to beat the heat with the unveiling of new shade structures at the recently opened Pomerleau Park. It's part of a $2 million commitment the foundation has to match the city's funds for providing heat protection for playgrounds and recreational facilities across Austin. "I think this summer highlighted the need for shade more than ever," said Austin Parks Foundation CEO Collin Wallis. "And as council member Alter said, people won't use parks and open spaces if they're just beat down in the sun. So providing some shade at playgrounds and picnic tables and parks is huge for usability."Wallis went on to say that while the improvement of the parks is expected to take a long time, the Austin Parks Foundation hopes to have more structures completed by next summer.

A weekend of heat but cooler air is on the way

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Afternoon highs today through Monday will return to mostly the middle 90s. Temperatures will lower to the upper 80s to low 90s Tuesday and Wednesday. A cold front heading to Central Texas will deliver a north wind Thursday dropping highs to the upper 70s to low 80s for the end of the week. That's the first piece of good news. The better news is that rain chances will go up beginning Tuesday as Gulf moisture moves into the area. It's mostly rain Tuesday though there will be an increasing chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.The cold front and upper-level trough continue to advance towards Central Texas on Wednesday bringing in moisture from both the Gulf and the Pacific to keep a good chance of showers and thunderstorms in the mid-week forecast.The front starts out in the Hill Country Thursday morning, gradually moving to the east. Prior to its arrival is when we see a good chance of thunderstorms that could be strong to possibly severe. The front will pass durin...

Patchy morning fog gives way to a hot and sunny day ahead

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

ST. LOUIs -- Some patchy fog in our river valleys is developing. Otherwise, it was a quiet and mild morning. It'll be hot today, with highs climbing to about 90 and mostly sunny skies. Clear skies and lows in the 60s tonight.  For Sunday, it should be a touch cooler, but temperatures will still be well above normal, in the mid-80s. Unseasonably warm temperatures hang around through Tuesday and into much of Wednesday.  A cold front will approach the region Wednesday, bringing a chance of some showers and storms late Wednesday into Thursday. Much cooler behind the front, with highs in the low to mid 70s. 

Pickle Ball in the Streets Tournament in Webster Groves today

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- The Pickle Ball in the Streets Tournament is taking place today in Webster Groves. The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Digital Strike headquarters on Big Bend Blvd.Attendees can enjoy live music, food trucks, a petting zoo, art vendors, and more. The event is free and open to everyone. However, if you wish to participate in the tournament, registration is required, and the cost is $75 per player.For those who haven't registered online, on-site registration is available. Additionally, you can learn to play pickleball for $35.00 with a certified instructor.The tournament aims to support the Mighty Oaks Foundation, which helps families with children born with congenital heart defects. Last year's tournament raised over $10,000 for the foundation.

The secret ingredient of ChatGPT is human advice

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

In November 2022, the company behind Facebook released a chatbot called Galactica. After a torrent of complaints that the bot made up historical events and spewed other nonsense, Meta removed it from the internet.Two weeks later, the San Francisco startup OpenAI released a chatbot called ChatGPT. It was a worldwide sensation.Both bots were powered by the same fundamental technology. But unlike Meta, OpenAI had sharpened its bot using a technique that was just beginning to change the way artificial intelligence is built.In the months leading up to the release of ChatGPT, the company hired hundreds of people to use an early version and provide precise suggestions that could help hone the bot’s skills. Like an army of tutors guiding a grade school student, they showed the bot how to respond to particular questions, rated its responses and corrected its mistakes. By analyzing those suggestions, ChatGPT learned to be a better chatbot.The technique, “reinforcement learning from human feed...

For consumers, the cost of a used car in Denver not aging well

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

What it cost to buy a 3-year-old used vehicle back in 2019 would today only pay for something that is 7 years old in Denver, according to a study from iSeeCars.com.That trend is national, and it reflects both inflation as well as a decrease in new car production between 2020 and 2022 because of the pandemic. The big run-up explains, in part, why consumers are under such financial pressure, not only when it comes to where they live, but also what they drive.The auto website looked at over 21 million used car sales to determine the average price of a 3-year-old model in 2019 and what that same model would cost to buy in Denver and other cities.Across all models, the average cost of a 3-year-old car in Denver in 2019 was $24,449. But by 2023, it was $36,146, a gain of 47.8%. Converted to years, what was spent on a 3-year-old car in 2019 will only buy a car that is 7 years old today on average.Some models go above that. A 3-year-old Chevrolet Spark cost an average of $10,105 in 2019. Bu...

Wilcox zooms past Mountain View to open league play with 45-14 win

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Mountain View opened Friday’s game against Wilcox exactly how head coach Tim Lugo wanted.The Spartans used a trick play to get the ball into the hands of receiver Lex Silver for a 74-yard touchdown.Not only did the score put Mountain View on the board first, but Lugo also felt it gave his team a needed confidence boost to start what he expected to be a dogfight.The Spartans’ edge didn’t last long. Wilcox answered with a score of its own less than a minute later and ended up being the aggressors the rest of the night, resulting in a 45-14 beatdown of Mountain View to open league play.“We played good defense after… they scored,” Wilcox coach Paul Rosa said. “We settled down and got the ball back quickly after that.”Senior quarterback Tyson Bonilla carved up Mountain View’s defense throughout the first half and start of the third quarter. His ability to change his speed and direction without warning gave the Spartans trouble...

Clendaniel: A parting wish for readers as I retire from the editorial page

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

Time really does fly when you’re having fun.In 1985, I walked into The Mercury News for the first time and couldn’t believe my good fortune to be working at a newspaper in one of the most beautiful and intriguing regions in the world. Except for a five-year stint from 1997-2002 as a stay-at-home dad and editor for Forbes ASAP magazine, I’ve been here ever since.But on Friday, after writing about 2,000 editorials and columns and editing more than 25,000 letters to the editor, I retired as The Mercury News editorial page editor and a member of the East Bay Times editorial board.As a lifelong newspaper junkie, I know I’m going to miss the job — a lot. For the last two decades of my career, a newspaper paid me to have an opinion. How cool is that? I, in turn, did my best to fulfill our opinion-page mission of advancing debate on key issues facing our readers.Who else gets to identify the leading topic of the day and then call the best experts to discuss it?...