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Fighting fires from the skies: Inside the Texas air tankers saving land and lives

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:02 GMT

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — As Elic Kirby ducks into the cockpit of his "Super Scooper," he doesn't know where the flames may fly him next. His bags stay packed in the hollow, hybrid floating aircraft, ready to follow the latest sign of smoke anywhere from College Station to Canada."Most people don't love flying into smoke and fires and all that," he said. "I like doing stuff that's challenging. Not that it's, you know, a particularly hard job." MAP: More than 2,800 acres have burned in Central Texas wildfires this year A common observer may disagree with that humble assessment. What Kirby describes as a normal day at the office entails flying low through turbulent smoke screens, skimming lake surfaces at 100 miles per hour to scoop up 1,600 gallons of water in just ten seconds, then dousing flames from above and returning for more — often up to one hundred times a day."It's fun. I hate to say that, you know, you're fighting fires, you're trying to protect people, property, whatever ...

AISD: How many teachers does the district need?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:02 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's back to school for Austin ISD and this year the district says they are better off when it comes to teacher vacancies.Last July, Austin ISD was looking to fill about 500 teaching positions, but this year the district has about 200 openings. Austin ISD plans to pull millions from reserve funds to give educators 7% raise "We do have some key areas we are looking to fill still," Matias Segura, AISD interim superintendent, said. "Some of these certifications whether it is multilingual education or special education services can be difficult."A closer look at the data shows the biggest needs are in elementary schools where there are 148 teacher vacancies. Out of those openings, 64 are for bilingual teachers and another 32 are for special education positions."They play an incredibly important role in our students' lives," Segura said.There are 36 teacher vacancies for middle schools, with 16 openings for special education positions.In high school, there are 23 vacanc...

AC chillers temporarily go out at McCallum, LASA on 1st day of school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:02 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Some high school students in Austin went back to school Monday morning to hot classrooms. McCallum High School experienced air-conditioning issues as students came to campus for their first day of the new school year. A ReportIt email from a student at the school said their classroom was 91 degrees at 8:30 a.m. ‘It was scared, it was running around’: Raccoons are running through McCallum High School The Liberal Arts and Science Academy dealt with two HVAC issues on campus Monday, according to a letter sent to parents.The letter said a new compressor is being installed Monday evening in an affected annex of the campus. The school expects to be at 100% functionality of all units by Tuesday morning, the letter states.Elizabeth Lippincott, Austin ISD's assistant director of communications, confirmed to KXAN the entire McCallum campus was without air conditioning temporarily Monday morning, and parts of the campus were still without it as of 10 a.m."The main air c...

Manor ISD superintendent talks priorities at start of his 1st full school year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:02 GMT

MANOR, Texas (KXAN) -- Manor ISD kicks off the school year with a superintendent in his first full academic year on the job, and 89 teachers working on visas to help the district meet its staffing needs. The district starts the year having scored a "C" during its 2022 state assessment. While school progress stood out as an area of achievement, the score for STAAR Performance struggled. NEXT: Set for School Superintendent Dr. Robert Sormani said the district is "ground zero" in the battle with charter schools over students as Manor ISD finished last school year with 9,255 students enrolled, which is less than had been projected.Sormani talked with KXAN about a variety of back-to-school issues ranging from staffing to safety to academic achievement ahead of the next school year.Q&A with Manor ISD superintendentManor ISD Superintendent Dr. Robert Sormani talks with KXAN's Tom Miller. (Frank Martinez/KXAN) MORE: Manor ISD filling staffing shortages with international teachers To...

Reports: Ex-Vikings running back Dalvin Cook signs with Jets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:02 GMT

Dalvin Cook is trading the Mini Apple for the Big Apple.A couple of months after the Vikings cut bait with running back Dalvin Cook, the 28-year-old has agreed to join the New York Jets, according to multiple reports. It’s reportedly a 1-year deal for Cook that could be worth up to $8.6 million. He has been flirting with the Jets since visiting last month and will not be the presumed starter in a backfield that also features young running back Breece Hall.The punchline, of course, is that Cook will be joining forces with longtime rival Aaron Rodgers with the Jets. They have had some battles in the past with Cook a member of the Vikings and Rodgers a member of the Green Bay Packers.Originally selected by the Vikings in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft, Cook finished his time in Minnesota with 5,993 rushing yards and 1,794 receiving yards. His total yardage on the ground trails only future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson (11,747) and Robert Smith (6,818) for the most in fran...

One of three men charged in Maplewood drive-by shooting sentenced to 3 years in prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:02 GMT

One of three men charged in a drive-by shooting in Maplewood last summer was sentenced Friday to three years in prison.Davion Lazarick Gaines, 21, of Minneapolis, had pleaded guilty to second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with nearly four dozen gunshots that were fired outside two Maplewood apartment buildings along Clarence Street North on the afternoon of June 13, 2022.Ramsey County District Judge Elena Ostby followed a July agreement and sentenced Gaines to a 36-month prison term, which will run concurrent with a Hennepin County gun-related conviction that sent him to prison for three years in March.Also charged in the Maplewood shooting were Elias-Kareem Hany Aly, 22, of St. Paul, and De’Voncea Lashoun Griffo, 24, of Little Canada.Elias-Kareem Hany Aly, Davion Lazarick Gaines and De’Voncea Lashoun Griffo (Courtesy of the Ramsey County sheriff’s office)All three men later picked up new charges in unrelated cases after being released from the Ramsey Co...

Book Review: Small-town politics and big family drama drive Minnesota-centric crime thriller ‘Where the Dead Sleep’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:02 GMT

“Where the Dead Sleep” begins pleasantly enough: Detective Ben Packard is back, becoming more comfortable with Sandy Lake, making his rounds as acting sheriff at the small Minnesota town’s Labor Day weekend celebration.But we can’t have a murder mystery without a murder, and before he can even remember the name of the drummer he hooked up with after the celebrations, Packard gets called out to the crime that will take center stage in Joshua Moehling’s sequel to last year’s “And There He Kept Her” from Poisoned Pen Press.Bill is found dead in his bed with two bullets in him and a wife who heard only one shot and didn’t see anything. It’s a strange case from the start, as it’s quickly revealed that Bill’s wife, Carrie, is the sister of his ex-wife, Sherri. And the family drama doesn’t end there.This cover image released by Poison Pen Press shows “Where the Dead Sleep” by Joshua Moehling. (Poison Pen Press via AP)Beyond the ongoing investigation, there’s t...

Beth and Alec Baldwin explain charity's decision to pull out of New York State Fair in NewsChannel 9 exclusive interview

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:02 GMT

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) -- Elizabeth "Beth" Baldwin admits it was hard packing up her booth at the New York State Fair this past weekend, taking down memorial photos of women who died from breast cancer."I have much more bigger things to do," Baldwin explains in an exclusive interview with NewsChannel 9. "(Like) sit with people when they're having chemo, get them into doctors, sit with them when they're dying, on their last breath, and I'm arguing over a six-cent can." Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Beth Baldwin explained her decision to pull her mom's charity, the Baldwin Fund, out of the New York State Fair, after having a booth for 33 years.She made the announcement on The Baldwin Fund's Facebook page, writing "I can no longer stand for the changes being made by the leaders at the State Fair."She shared more detail in an exclusive interview with NewsChannel 9.For the past few years, outside the booth, the Carol Baldwin Fun...

With Beyoncé concert on deck, tourism officials warn of ticket scammers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:02 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Next week, the BeyHive will flock to downtown St. Louis as Beyoncé brings her Renaissance World Tour to the Gateway City.Officials at The Dome at America's Center say they're ready for this big tour.“When big stars like Beyonce come to St. Louis, we see thousands of people staying in hotels, and buying dinners and gas, and buying fun outfits to come and cheer Beyonce on,” said Cat Neville, Explore St. Louis. “The economic impact for these types of concerts is huge for the region.”Neville says tickets are still available for the Monday night show. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW Experts say fans should be careful buying tickets off Facebook to make sure they aren’t scammed. There are no payment protections if you’re buying throu...

4-time champ, organizers prepare for 7th annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:02 GMT

MADISON, Ill. - Plastered atop the podium, Josef Newgarden’s dominance at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 has become a summer tradition in St. Louis. Standing above the track Monday in Madison, Illinois, the current winningest American driver in the NTT IndyCar Series is ready to return for another shot at victory.“It’s like a mini-Indy 500 for us, which is so cool. The month of May, the Indy 500 is a big deal, but coming here to St. Louis is a big deal as well, and we love this track,” Newgarden said. “I love the accessibility to a lot of our fan base. I love what they’ve done every single season to elevate the event.”Chuck Wallis, vice president and general manager at Bommarito Automotive Group, is ready to get fans back to the track on Aug. 26 and 27 for this year’s race.“It’s just nice to hear people say we want to come to St. Louis; we want to race in St. Louis,” he said. “They’ve invested so much money and done so many good things here; every year it’s gotten better and bet...