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WATCH: First congressional hearing on Maui wildfire to focus on island's sole electric provider and grid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hawaii's top public utility officials and the president of Hawaiian Electric are expected to testify Thursday in a congressional hearing about the role the electrical grid played in last month's deadly Maui wildfire.Members of a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee are expected to question the utility officials about how the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century began — and whether the electrical grid in Lahaina was safe and properly maintained.The fire killed at least 97 people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, mostly homes. It first erupted at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 8, when strong winds appeared to cause a Hawaiian Electric powerline to fall, igniting dry brush and grass near a large subdivision.Among those expected to testify are Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Chair Leodoloff Asuncion Jr. and Hawaii Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick. How a shutdown would impact key health care programs Energy and Commerc...

WATCH: House Republicans are set to make their case for Biden impeachment inquiry at first hearing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have insisted for months that they have the grounds to launch impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden. On Thursday, they will begin formally making their case to the public and their skeptical colleagues in the Senate.The chairmen of Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means will hold the opening hearing of their impeachment inquiry by reviewing the constitutional and legal questions surrounding their investigation of Biden and what they say are links to his son Hunter's overseas businesses."Based on the evidence, Congress has a duty to open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden's corruption," Rep. James Comer, the Oversight chairman, said in a statement this week.Comer added that the committee plans to "present evidence uncovered to date and hear from legal and financial experts about crimes the Bidens may have committed as they brought in millions at the expense of U.S. interests." More SNAP changes coming Oct. 1 It's a high-stakes ...

Netflix's red-and-white envelopes making final trip as DVD-by-mail service ending

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:41 GMT

The curtain is finally coming down on Netflix's once-iconic DVD-by-mail service, a quarter century after two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs came up with a concept that obliterated Blockbuster video stores while providing a springboard into video streaming that has transformed entertainment.The DVD service that has been steadily shrinking in the shadow of Netflix's video streaming service will shut down after its five remaining distribution centers in California, Texas, Georgia and New Jersey mail out their final discs Friday.The fewer than 1 million recipients who still subscribe to the DVD service will be able to keep the final discs that land in their mailboxes.Some of the remaining DVD diehards will get up to 10 discs as a going away present from a service that boasted as many as 16 million subscribers. That was before Netflix made the pivotal decision in 2011 to separate the DVD side business from a streaming business that now boasts 238 million subscribers and generated...

Does your California red wine taste like an ashtray? Here's why and what's being done

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:41 GMT

ALPINE, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. West Coast produces over 90% of America's wine, but the region is also prone to wildfires — a combustible combination that spelled disaster for the wine industry in 2020 and one that scientists are scrambling to neutralize.Sample a good wine and you might get notes of oak or red fruit. But sip on wine made from grapes that were penetrated by smoke, and it could taste like someone dumped the contents of an ashtray into your glass.Wine experts from three West Coast universities are working together to meet the threat, including developing spray coatings to protect grapes, pinpointing the elusive compounds that create that nasty ashy taste, and deploying smoke sensors to vineyards to better understand smoke behavior.The U.S. government is funding their research with millions of dollars. Wineries are also taking steps to protect their product and brand.The risk to America's premier wine-making regions — where wildfires caused billions of dollars in...

Senate passes formal dress code after backlash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:41 GMT

(The Hill) – The Senate voted Wednesday night to require that business attire be worn on the floor of the chamber, following backlash from both sides over Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) move to relax the dress code last week. The resolution, from centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), comes just over a week after Schumer announced he would loosen the Senate’s dress code, a move that was seen by some as a way to accommodate Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who is often spotted on Capitol Hill wearing shorts and hoodies instead of suits. Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike criticized Schumer's decision, with some calling it disrespectful to the upper chamber. The vote came in the midst of both chambers racing to avert a shutdown at the end of the week.The resolution seeks to “clarify the dress code” for the Senate floor. It requires men to wear a coat, tie, slacks and other long pants.Speaking with The Hill last week, Fetterman denied he was the driving...

More SNAP changes coming Oct. 1

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:41 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Starting in October, SNAP benefits are getting a boost – but eligibility requirements are also changing. The changes to SNAP, which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, are taking effect as a result of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, signed by President Joe Biden in June.In order qualify for SNAP (previously called the Food Stamp Program), more people will be required to prove they are actively working, training or in school. The changes only affect one group of SNAP recipients: able-bodied adults without dependents (or ABAWDs, as the agency calls them), ages 52 to 54. SNAP benefits are increasing Oct. 1: Here’s how much ABAWDs between the ages of 18 and 52 already need to prove they are working at least 80 hours a month, pursuing an education or are in a training program to qualify for SNAP for more than three months.Now, starting on Oct. 1, able-bodied childless workers who are 51 and 52 years old will also need to meet those work ...

The 25 best 'hidden gem' restaurants in the US, according to TripAdvisor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:41 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – TripAdvisor has revealed its top-rated “hidden gem” restaurants in the United States, highlighting 25 relatively unknown eateries that consistently earn praise from the platform’s users.These top-rated “hidden” restaurants (which likely won’t stay hidden for much longer) were announced Wednesday as part of TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards, an annual ranking of the site’s top-rated dining destinations across seven different categories. The origin of toasted ravioli the subject of major debate The honorees in this year’s “hidden gem” category include plenty of no-frills, under-the-radar restaurants serving up everything from lobster rolls and fries to tikka masala and whoopie pies. But only one restaurant can take the No. 1 spot — and this year, that honor goes to a burger-and-shake joint in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.Cookie Dough Monster, located in an unassuming strip mall just a few miles from Dollywood, earned high marks for its food, service, val...

Pflugerville police searching for missing teen girl

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:41 GMT

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) -- The Pflugerville Police Department is searching for a 17-year-old girl they say was last seen Wednesday. Police are asking for help locating Brie Ann Mitchell, who was reported missing by CPS after leaving a hospital in Pflugerville Wednesday.Mitchell is described by police as a white female, 5'4" and 187 lbs, with brown/blonde hair and blue eyes. Brie Ann Mitchell, 17, was reported missing by CPS after leaving a hospital in Pflugerville Wednesday. (Pflugerville Police Department photo) Police said she is known to frequent the Temple area, which is about 55 miles north of Pflugerville. Anyone with information on Mitchell's whereabouts should contact the Pflugerville Police Department at 512-990-6700.

Hail storm repairs could be slowed by roofing shingle shortage

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:41 GMT

Correction: An earlier headline of this story said there was a shortage in roof tiles. It is actually a shortage in roof shingles. The headline has been changed to reflect that.ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- Josh Herrington said the homes in the Cat Hollow neighborhood in Round Rock look like a war zone following Sunday night's hail storm. Herrington is the owner of Sixth Gen Roofing, and he and his team are in the process of helping homeowners who suffered roof and window damage. "The ice storm -- it was bad, it was bad, but it was a lot of clean up. This is going to be a lot of work," Herrington said. That work could be compounded because of a shortage in a certain material that goes into the production of roof shingles. Herrington said there is a lack of production on granular minerals, which serves as a protector from excessive heat for roof shingles. How much damage could it be? Herrington said he expects there is a need of between three million and four million roofing shingles f...

Wait — are there elk in Central Texas?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:41 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Along State Highway 45 near Driftwood, a vibrant yellow traffic sign depicts an animal not typically found in Central Texas' neck of the woods.The sign forewarns of elk in the area. But that begs the question: Since when are there elk in Central Texas?KXAN took that question to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to see if there are any herds dwelling in the greater Austin area. A TPWD spokesperson said while there are elk in the Trans-Pecos and western Panhandle regions of Texas, most found locally aren't naturally residing here. "Any free-ranging elk found in Hays County or Central Texas have likely escaped from a high-fenced ranch," the TPWD spokesperson told KXAN over email. Officials added it's not unusual for fences near creeks and river crossings "to become compromised after rainfall events and severe weather." As a result, the official said these animals can be "commonly observed in the Edwards Plateau."Elk can ...