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

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 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?...

Mahan: Time for the blame game on homelessness to end

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

After the 1906 earthquake, San Francisco quickly constructed over 5,600 cottages to house those made homeless by the catastrophe. City leaders didn’t say “a cottage isn’t good enough” or “someone else is to blame” or, worse, “this is unsolvable.”They recognized that in an emergency, you take emergency action — such as building simple, decent shelters for everyone affected.They placed these cottages on public land and then, as the emergency ebbed, residents were allowed to relocate them. They were the first homes for thousands of families. You can still find them across the region.We’ve seen elected officials offer excuse after excuse for our state’s failure to adequately address homelessness. We’ve blamed the courts, we’ve blamed the cost of building housing, and we’ve blamed the homeless.It’s time for the blame game to end. It’s time California created safe, decent and affordably constructed shelter for everyone — and then required those sleeping outdoors to use it. It’...

Video of YouTuber prank reveals moments leading up to Dulles Town Center shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

New video obtained by NBC Washington shows the minutes before and after a serious shooting in Virginia's Dulles Town Center on April 2, 2023. (Courtesy NBC Washington/Drew Wilder)(Courtesy NBC4/Drew Wilder) New video obtained by NBC Washington shows the minutes before and after a serious shooting in Virginia's Dulles Town Center on April 2, 2023. (Courtesy NBC Washington/Drew Wilder)(Courtesy NBC4/Drew Wilder) A Loudoun County, Virginia, jury found Thursday that the delivery driver who shot 21-year-old content creator Tanner Cook was not guilty of aggravated malicious wounding. On Friday, new video from the shooting inside Dulles Town Center revealed what happened in the moments before shots rang out.In the final ...