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ELECTION DAY LIVE BLOG: Central Texans vote on bonds, propositions, city council races 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:27 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Today is Election Day. Central Texas voters will decide on a number of school bonds, local propositions and elected officials. In Austin, voters will decide on two different measures related to police oversight. There are also multimillion-dollar school district bonds on the ballot in Hutto, Leander, San Marcos, Eanes, Dripping Springs and other districts. Latest updates on local elections Election Day resourcesAustin Police oversight propositionsDripping Springs ISD bondEanes ISD bondHays CISD bondHutto ISD bondLeander ISD bondElection resultsTurnout trackerThis live blog will be updated with new Election Day information. Continue to check back with KXAN.com for results.Election Day live blog8:30 a.m.Polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. During early voting, about 6.7% of Travis County and Williamson County voters went to the polls. In Hays County, turnout was less than 5%.

$763M Leander ISD bond package on the ballot for voters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:27 GMT

Editor's Note: The above video is of KXAN's previous coverage of the Leander ISD bond election.LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — An almost $763 million bond package will go before Leander ISD voters. The three propositions named in the district’s proposal lay out upgrades to campus security measures, renovations to school facilities and technology improvements. Voter Guide: What you need to know ahead of the May 2023 local elections Prop A is the most expensive proposition listed in the proposal, at the cost of $698.33 million. It would allow the district to build two new elementary schools, buy land for future facilities and improve safety and security projects at every campus in LISD.See election results after polls close at 7 p.m.Some of the improvements listed in the proposal include digital mapping systems, forced-entry-resistant film and lockdown button upgrades.This proposition, if passed, would also allow the district to buy new buses and other district vehicles.Prop B costs $50.82 ...

Letters: Readily available firearms devastated this family — we can do better

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:27 GMT

Readily available firearms devastated this familyRe: “4 gun bills prompt lawsuit vow,” April 29 news storyI am an 86-year-old independent voter. My husband and I raised four children. I am also, thoughtfully, pro-life, as I see the extreme hypocrisy inherent in party affiliations and positions. Following Gov. Jared Polis’ recent signing of sensible gun safety laws, a gun shop was shown on the evening news. The display of hundreds of high-capacity firearms was frightening. There they were — hundreds of deaths on the wall and in the display cases!Republicans tout pro-life while promoting killing machines, while Democrats tout pro-life through freedom of abortion. Make no mistake; abortion ends a life and guns kill. Little innocent children, families and the general public are at risk of tempers and growing, deadly, conspiracy theories. Deep, life-long sadness, shock, and despair follow these sudden and unexpected violent deaths.As a young camper, I enjoyed targ...

A.I., brain scans and cameras: The spread of police surveillance tech

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:27 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A brain wave reader that can detect lies. Miniaturized cameras that sit inside vape pens and disposable coffee cups. Massive video cameras that zoom in more than a kilometer to capture faces and license plates.At a police conference in Dubai in March, new technologies for the security forces of the future were up for sale. Far from the eyes of the general public, the event provided a rare look at what tools are now available to law enforcement around the world: better and harder-to-detect surveillance, facial recognition software that automatically tracks individuals across cities and computers to break into phones.Advances in artificial intelligence, drones and facial recognition have created an increasingly global police surveillance business. Israeli hacking software, American investigation tools and Chinese computer vision algorithms can all be bought and mixed together to make a snooping cocktail of startling effectiveness.Fueled by a surge o...

Osprey couple attempting to nest on construction crane in Silverthorne spurs action

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:27 GMT

By RYAN SPENCER, Summit DailyFor Summit County residents, ospreys flying in the vicinity of the Dillon Reservoir are a sure sign of spring.Related ArticlesNews | Snakes in the walls: A slithery surprise for a Centennial home buyer, a month after closing News | Hunting, conservation groups back cuts in big-game licenses to help herds recover News | Conservation coalition camera captures covert crane customs News | Spring is shearing season on the Western Slope, Colorado’s sheep farming hub News | There’s a new 7,700 pound elephant in town at the Denver Zoo After migrating south for the winter, the large hawks return every year to nest and breed near water bodies throughout Colorado. But this year, several Silverthorne residents became concerned when an osprey couple attempted to nest on a crane amid an ongoing construction project.Sharie Sobke, the owner of Alpine Earth Gardens in Silverthorne...

Denver wants to crackdown on “junkers” but ACLU says new law could target homeless

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:27 GMT

A proposed Denver ordinance designed to make it easier to ticket and impound “junkers” and other vehicles clogging up parking lots and public rights of way could be used to target low-income and unhoused people.That’s according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, which sent a letter outlining its concerns about the proposed law change to the City Council offices on May 1, hours before the ordinance was set for a second and final vote.ACLU of Colorado staff attorney Annie Kurtz declined to say if the letter should be construed as a lawsuit threat.“We have a policy on not commenting on potential litigation before anything is filed in court,” Kurtz said.The letter quotes a Supreme Court decision regarding the potential for discriminatory enforcement of local laws when clear standards for enforcement are not included. The ACLU and other opponents of the ordinance are specifically concerned about an expanded definition of what qualifies as a &...

Google promised to defund climate lies, but the ads keep coming

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:27 GMT

In October 2021, Google promised to stop placing ads alongside content that denied the existence and causes of climate change, so that purveyors of the false claims could no longer make money on its platforms, including YouTube.And yet if you recently clicked on a YouTube video titled “who is Leonardo DiCaprio,” you might have found a ramble of claims that climate change is a hoax and the world is cooling after a Paramount+ ad for the film “80 for Brady,” starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Rita Moreno.Before another video that purported to detail “how climate activists distort the evidence,” some users saw an ad for Alaska Airlines.These are not aberrations, according to a coalition of environmental organizations and the Center for Countering Digital Hate. In a report released Tuesday, researchers from the organizations accused YouTube of continuing to profit from videos that portrayed the changing climate as a hoax or exaggeration.They found 100 videos, viewed at lea...

'So, I hear I'm transphobic': Dee Snider responds after being dropped by S.F. Pride

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:27 GMT

Two days after he was pulled from a main-stage appearance at this year's Pride Celebration in San Francisco — and after his song, "We're Not Gonna Take It," was canceled as the festival's unofficial rallying cry — Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider has issued a response. "I was not aware the Transgender community expects fealty and total agreement with all their beliefs and any variation or deviation is considered 'transphobic,'" wrote Snider in a Facebook post. "So, my lifetime of supporting the Transgender community's right to identify as they want and honoring whatever changes they may make in how they present themselves to the world isn't enough?" he continued, in a post he titled, "So, I hear I'm transphobic. Really?" Bill banning gender transition care for youth stalls in Texas House again after protest, delay At the center of the brouhaha with Pride is a tweet Snider sent earlier this week, in which he voiced his support for a statement from fellow rocker, Paul Stanley of ...

The dirty truth about your phone – and why you need to stop scrolling in the bathroom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:27 GMT

(The Conversation) - We carry them everywhere, take them to bed, to the bathroom and for many people they’re the first thing they see in the morning – more than 90% of the world owns or uses a mobile phone and many of us couldn’t manage without one.But while health concerns about phones use usually focus on the distraction they can cause while driving, the possible effects of radiofrequency exposure, or just how addictive they can be. The microbial infection risk of your phone is much less appreciated – but it’s very real.A 2019 survey found that most people in the UK use their phones on the toilet. So it’s not surprising to discover studies have found our mobile phones to be dirtier than toilet seats.We give our phones to children to play with (who aren’t exactly well known for their hygiene). We also eat while using our phones and put them down on all sorts of (dirty) surfaces. All of which can transfer microbes onto your phone along with food deposits for...

How Could CBD Help Aging Pets?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:27 GMT

View the original article about CBD For Aging Pets at Real Tested CBD.One of the fastest growing trends in health for both humans and their pets as of late is CBD. Maybe you have seenCBD pet treats or oils on market and are curious if they would benefit your pet. Especially if you have a senior pet or one that is even mobility impaired, there could be advantages to adding CBD to your pet’s life. Let’s take a closer look at CBD for aging pets and if it could be a benefit.What Is CBD?Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of many natural compounds in hemp and cannabis plants also known as cannabinoids. Unlike another popular cannabinoid, THC, CBD is not psychoactive and when properly dosed could actually be beneficial for animals and humans alike. CBD is derived from hemp, and in the U.S., products are made using plants with a THC threshold of 0.3% or less. CBD will not get your pet high, but it does have several researched benefits.Benefits of CBDCBD works with the endocannabinoid system, or EC...