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Austin neighbors frustrated over lingering burned homes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:05 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The view from Diana Melcer Whitson's front door in north Austin is eye catching for what she said are all the wrong reasons.“It's just gotten worse,” Whitson said as she looked at the house across the street.The front yard is filled with all kinds of oddities.“Mannequins that need to be dressed,” she pointed out. “Vacant vehicles.”And then there are the painted signs throughout the yard.  “It says, 'Love thy neighbor, even if she is bat-s--- crazy'”, Whitson read.Whitson says neighbors in her community have been trying for years to get the owner to clean up. Austin Code Department records show eight complaints in the last three years.A code department spokesperson described to KXAN Investigates a back-and-forth process where the owner would clean up sometimes to get in compliance and not act on other violation notices.The code department even got a warrant to remove junk from the front and back yards, but the spokesperson said the owner kept collecting more stuf...

Sunday sunshine before a mostly cloudy week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:05 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The overnight was mostly clear before some clouds arrived in the upper flow. Those clouds will clear for some of the area during the morning. A mostly sunny sky is forecast from I-35 westward. There will be more cloud cover during the afternoon in our eastern counties where there is a low chance of rain.Low rain chance mostly east of I-35Highs will be warmer than normal again today. Highs should reach the low to mid 80s this afternoon especially in that area from the Hill Country eastward to the I-35 viewing area. Off to the east it looks like highs remain in the upper 70s because of the cloud cover and rain.Highs above the normal of 76°Afternoon humidity will be lowest in the western part of the area. More moisture means higher humidity where the spotty rain is forecast.Somewhat humid in our eastern counties this afternoonThe first of two cold fronts arrives overnight Monday to Tuesday morning with a 30% chance of rain/thunderstorms to a 10% chance of rain after su...

Austin Public Library's puppetry program delights audiences for 45 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:05 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On a recent Wednesday morning at the Austin Public Library's Howson Branch, the sound of delighted squeals could be heard from the dozens of children gathered in the library's meeting room. For 30 minutes, the wide-eyed onlookers were transported into the world of "Wiley and the Hairy Man," a Southern folktale told through puppetry. How did ‘Texas, Our Texas’ become the official state song? For more than 45 years, APL's Literature Live! has sprinkled the magic and wonder of puppetry into APL's youth programming. Ellen Scott, Devo Carpenter and Gabriel Ransenberg are the three puppeteer masterminds behind "Wiley and the Hairy Man," with multiple performances planned throughout the spring."It's magic, you know?" Scott said. "It suspends your disbelief and kids, more than adults, can do that at the drop of a hat."The challenge behind creating a puppet show is navigating the millions of ways the stories can be told, each said. From a script-writing standpoint, Carpente...

What do ‘immersive experiences’ say about the future of entertainment?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:05 GMT

CHICAGO — We live in “the experience culture.”That’s what David Barbour calls it. He’s editor-in-chief of Lighting & Sound America, the monthly trade publication of the entertainment technology industry. Barbour sees no more conspicuous example of that culture, and our ever-theme-parkier menu of experiences for a price, than the multi-projection exhibits like “Immersive Van Gogh,” one of many Van Gogh attractions now playing around the world. Audiences pay their money for a bone-dry swim in an ocean of digital projections and swirly images from famous paintings accustomed to being still.Moving digital images at Lighthouse ArtSpace as the “Immersive Van Gogh” exhibit is previewed in Chicago on Feb. 9, 2021. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS)“Immersive Van Gogh” recently concluded a two-year run engagement at Chicago’s shrewdly renovated and reconfigured Germania Club Building, built in 1889 and located in Old Town. More than 650,000 people paid to see that exhibit. Now...

Nanda: Arrest warrant for Putin is first step to justice for Ukraine’s victims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:05 GMT

The International Criminal Court’s groundbreaking arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be dismissed as merely symbolic. It is a historical first step and an important one toward accountability and justice for Ukrainian victims.The actual indictment on the current charge of war crimes in Ukraine has yet to follow, as well as likely further charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. Prosecutor Karim Khan said, “We will not hesitate to submit further applications for warrants of arrest when the evidence requires us to do.”A panel of ICC Judges granted the prosecutor’s request for warrants, saying that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, bear individual criminal responsibility for “unlawful deportation [and] unlawful transfer of children” from the occupied territories and that Putin also bears individual responsibility for his failure to exercise control over...

Meet the people being priced out of Denver as surging housing costs outpace wage growth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:05 GMT

Gustavo Navarrete Hernández spends his working days installing insulation in Denver’s luxury homes before catching a bus back to his modest apartment off South Federal Boulevard, where he and his family face have faced eviction after falling behind on rent.His three youngest children sleep huddled for warmth in the living room surrounded by space heaters after an ongoing battle with their landlord to fix a broken heater.“I have worked on the nicest apartments, and it makes me sad that I cannot afford one,” Navarrete Hernández said. “I work hard, and I haven’t done anything wrong.”Navarrete Hernández, his pregnant wife and their children sought refuge in Denver a decade ago, fleeing a homeless shelter in the Bay Area where they had lived when unable to keep up with increasing rent. They were headed to Florida, where they have family, but stopped in Denver so Navarrete Hernández could earn enough money for the rest of the journey. They never left.No...

In test of Colorado law, two lawsuits seek to hold school districts responsible for failing to stop bullying

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:05 GMT

Amber Harford’s son was in gym class at his Grand Junction middle school when a group of students attacked him. One of his classmates struck the 13-year-old on the back of his head so hard he fell to the ground and vomited.Less than a month later, another student hit Harford’s son more than 27 times in Orchard Mesa Middle School’s hallway, causing his head to bleed and swell.His injuries were so severe that the teen — who is not being identified because he is a minor — lost the ability to use his mouth and became unable to talk in the weeks after the attack. He was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, which causes paralysis on one side of the face, Harford alleged in a lawsuit filed against Mesa County Valley School District 51 in October.The assaults, which occurred in the fall of 2020, are among a string of bullying incidents the boy faced at school dating back to 2018 that employees failed to stop, the lawsuit alleges. Harford is suing the school district in one of at least t...

Colorado high school baseball players to watch in Class 3A, 4A, 5A in 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:05 GMT

With the prep baseball season underway across the state, here’s a look at top players to watch in Class 3A, 4A and 5A this year.Class 3AEaton Sr. INF Walker Martin, Eaton Sr. P/1B Tate Smith, Eaton Sr. UTL Ryder True, Bruce Randolph Jr. P/3B Pedro Carillo, Bayfield Sr. 1B Noah Chamblee, Pagosa Springs Sr. INF/P Kaison Clifford, La Junta Jr. SS/P Luke Garner, North Fork Sr. UTL Yandel Guereque, Alamosa Sr. INF/P Kade Jones, The Academy Sr. INF/P Corbin Miller, The Classical Academy Sr. 1B/P Vinny Miller, Faith Christian Sr. UTL Isaac Olson, Colorado Academy So. OF Jordan Reiter, Coal Ridge Jr. 3B/P Alexis Serna, Kent Denver Sr. 1B/P Aiden Shipman, Coal Ridge So. 1B/P Ben Simons, Delta Sr. OF/P Braeden Sprout, Bayfield Sr. C Nic Twedt, Eaton Jr. P/INF Mitch Haythorn.Class 4APalisade Sr. C Brett Rozman, D’Evelyn Sr. P Tate Aurich, D’Evelyn Sr. UTL Colin Kim, Erie Sr. P/1B/OF Ethan Dillinger, Cheyenne Mountain Sr. 2B/P Ben Myers, Erie Sr. INF Holden Pantier, Pueblo Cen...

Post Premium: Top stories for the week of March 20-26

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:05 GMT

Gustavo Navarrete Hernández spends his working days installing insulation in Denver’s luxury homes before catching a bus back to his modest apartment off South Federal Boulevard, where he and his family face have faced eviction after falling behind on rent.His three youngest children sleep huddled for warmth in the living room surrounded by space heaters after an ongoing battle with their landlord to fix a broken heater.“I have worked on the nicest apartments, and it makes me sad that I cannot afford one,” Navarrete Hernández said. “I work hard, and I haven’t done anything wrong.”Navarrete Hernández, his pregnant wife and their children sought refuge in Denver a decade ago, fleeing a homeless shelter in the Bay Area where they had lived when unable to keep up with increasing rent. They were headed to Florida, where they have family, but stopped in Denver so Navarrete Hernández could earn enough money for the rest of the journey. They never left.No...

“Apparently, we’re too stupid”: Colorado mayors blast Gov. Jared Polis-backed plan to regulate local zoning codes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:05 GMT

Mayors from several Colorado cities criticized Gov. Jared Polis’ sweeping land-use reform bill Thursday as state overreach, with some floating lawsuits to block what they describe as infringement on local control.“I think that’s something that cities and the (Colorado Municipal League) would certainly have to consider because local control is sacred,” said Arvada Mayor Marc Williams. “I really see this as the camel’s nose into the tent. So I think we have to be aggressive in our opposition.”The Colorado Municipal League, which represents the state’s cities and towns, has publicly declared its intent to fight any land-use reform for months. When the measure — which would significantly reshape single-family zoning in a bid to increase density and middle-housing stock — was unveiled Wednesday, the league’s executive director called it “breathtaking overreach.”Polis, legislative leaders and the broad coalition of ho...