"A humanitarian disaster:' Chicagoans voice concerns for loved ones trapped in Gaza

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

CHICAGO -- Israel gave civilians in Gaza a 24-hour warning to evacuate Friday before an expected large-scale invasion in the midst of launching deadly airstrikes across the region in the past week. Feelings of distress escalate for Palestinians in Chicago as they worry for loved ones scrambling to seek safety. Israeli air-raids have sent buildings to rubble, killed dozens of civilians in the past day and has minimized access to safekeeping. The U.N. has warned that evacuating more than half of the population would be calamitous and has urged Israel to reconsider action. More than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 8,000 wounded in Gaza. Associated Press reported that the morgue at Gaza's biggest hospital has overflowed as bodies came in faster than relatives could claim. Hospitals in the northern part of the strip have also been ordered to evacuate. "Evacuation is impossible for most people, there is nowhere to evacuate and no way to get there. This is asking to displ...

NADA used car value vs. KBB used car value

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

NADA used car value vs. KBB used car value (iSeeCars) -- If you’re buying or selling a used car, you’ll want an accurate valuation of the vehicle to know if it’s fairly priced. Luckily there are plenty of pricing tools available to help you figure out how much a vehicle is worth.You’ve probably heard of the most common two: NADA Guides and Kelley Blue Book®. Is one more accurate than the other? And what are the differences between these two pricing guides? We have the important answers, but first here's a brief description of each:NADAGuidesNADA stands for the National Automobile Dealers Association, which is a trade organization that represents all franchised new-car dealers. NADA publishes the Official Used Car Guide, which provides used car values for dealers across the United States. Since 1933, the Used Car guide has been a trusted and valuable resource for dealers to set retail prices and calculate trade-in values. In 2015, NADA was acquired by J.D. Power, another industry-leading data company. NADA also has a consumer...

Accenture to lay off hundreds more Austin employees for third time this year

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

Accenture to lay off hundreds more Austin employees for third time this year AUSTIN (KXAN) – Accenture intends to lay off 351 Austin employees from its Domain office before the end of the year, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, earlier this week. The Ireland-headquartered professional services giant has laid off hundreds of Austin employees already in 2023. A letter made public in May revealed the company would lay off 549 Austin employees also working at the office in The Domain. In June, another wave of layoffs was revealed to affect over 200 workers at a Williamson County Accenture office. The new layoffs are expected to be permanent and are due to a change in client contract requirements, according to Austin Business Journal reporting.

APD gets 11 theft reports during ACL Weekend 1

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

APD gets 11 theft reports during ACL Weekend 1 AUSTIN (KXAN) — Weekend Two of Austin City Limits Music Festivals is underway. During the first weekend of the festival, the Austin Police Department received 11 theft reports. This includes five reports of people stealing from individuals and six reports of theft or burglary from vehicles. RELATED: ACL lost and found fills up after Weekend 1 During both weekends in 2022, APD received 16 reports similar to these. In 2021, police received 27 theft reports, according to APD. If your phone or another item is stolen at ACL, festivalgoers should call 311 or report the theft online at ireportaustin.com. Before ACL began, APD gave advice to prevent thefts at the festival. Take down your phone’s serial number ahead of the weekend and keep that number in a safe place at home. This can help APD track it down more easily if it does get stolen.Keep valuables in different places on your person. This way, for example, if your phone is in a purse, but your ID is in a fanny pack, only one of tho...

Former KXAN studio set gets new home at UT Moody College

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

Former KXAN studio set gets new home at UT Moody College AUSTIN (KXAN) — The former studio set at KXAN is now in use at the University of Texas at Austin's Moody College of Communication. The set launched Thursday and will be used by the Radio-Television-Film department. Students will use the set for the Reporting Texas newscast. The former KXAN studio set is now in use at the University of Texas at Austin. UT Assistant Professor Kate West cut the ribbon on the new set. (KXAN Photo/Haley Cihock)The former KXAN set is now in use at the University of Texas at Austin. (Courtesy Nathan West)The former KXAN set is now in use at the University of Texas at Austin. (KXAN Photo/Haley Cihock)The former KXAN set is now in use at the University of Texas at Austin. (KXAN Photo/Haley Cihock)KXAN donated the lights anchor desk after it began a studio renovation last year. KXAN's new studio launched in February with an expanded First Warning Weather Center and more video display options.

The summer COVID surge is finally waning. Is a winter wave coming soon?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

The summer COVID surge is finally waning. Is a winter wave coming soon? (NEXSTAR) – We're well into fall, but the surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths that started over the summer has started to decline. The respite may be short-lived. Winter, the typical peak season for respiratory viruses, is just around the corner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it's expecting a "moderate COVID-19 wave" this winter, with a peak matching last winter's hospitalization levels. "COVID-19 could peak earlier than last season, however, because of limited summer activity compared to past years," the agency added. Former White House COVID response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said he expects cases to keep dropping for the next month or two before rising again during the winter holidays. Free COVID tests arrive – but they may look expired It's not clear yet how the new booster shot, formulated to specifically target common omicron strains, will impact the size of this year's surge. "Whether hospitalizations rise will depend in part on upta...

Why do some national parks charge an entrance fee?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

Why do some national parks charge an entrance fee? (NEXSTAR) — There is no question that the more than 400 national parks, monuments, seashores, historic sites, recreation areas, and other sites overseen by the National Park Service are stunning. But before you can visit some, you may have to pay. Across the entire National Park Service, which includes 425 units, only 109 charge an entrance fee.Nearly all have a park-specific annual pass, ranging from $35 to $70. Many also have fees per vehicle, person or motorcycle that vary from $5 to $35. If you’re a frequent visitor to many national parks or federal recreational lands, you may want the America The Beautiful annual pass worth $80. At this point, you may have had a common realization: we pay federal taxes, which can be used to fund the National Park Service, so why do I need to pay to get into a national park at all? It was a popular national monument, until it was robbed to extinction While it’s true that your federal income taxes do in a way fund the National Park Se...

The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 6: Browns will be hurting without Watson

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 6: Browns will be hurting without Watson UPDATE: 10:40 a.m. SaturdayWe were already expecting things to get a little ugly this week when unbeaten San Francisco came to Cleveland to abuse the Browns. But now Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson has been ruled out because of a shoulder injury. Forecasters predict a 50 percent chance of a shutout with P.J. Walker stepping in.Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been ruled out of the their blowout loss in Buffalo, so Tyrod Taylor will be absorbing punishment in his place.Carolina RB Miles Sanders won’t play against Miami on Sunday. Also ruled out are Detroit RB Jahmyr Gibbs and Jaguars WR Zay Jones.Notable players who are considered iffy for Week 6 at this point include Dallas running back Tony Pollard and Detroit tight end sensation Sam LaPorta. Cincinnati WR Tee Higgins is considered a game-time decision.ORIGINAL POST: 2:24 p.m. WednesdayIf you thought the Vikings’ season was turning into a train wreck, you received more clarity on that likelihood last Sunday when all-world r...

Soucheray: We are the masters of our fate, the captains of our alleys

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

Soucheray: We are the masters of our fate, the captains of our alleys It caught my attention that over this very weekend, there was to be a St. Paul Snow Summit held at the city’s Public Works garage out Como way on Dale Street, complete with food trucks and fire rigs and big plow truck tires to kick. It was coordinated by the Parks and Recreation Department, implying a connection between parks and plowing, a connection that escapes me, but still a cheerful excuse to rub shoulders with drivers and mechanics.What really grabbed me was the event’s focus on alley captains. St. Paul does not plow alleys, a good thing. Even city employees who live on alleys would agree that the less government intervention in the routine tasks of life, the better. We used to do just fine with our trash collection, for example, but then the city got its mitts on it and that horse left the barn.The alley captain is the guy — a woman can be a guy in this case — who collects money from the people on both sides of the alley and then hires the guy, usually a grateful...

Working Strategies: Time to step up to the C-suite?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

Working Strategies: Time to step up to the C-suite? Amy LindgrenDo you know the term “C-suite executive”? You probably do, but as a quick definition, C-suite refers to the employees at the top of a corporation, very frequently sporting titles that start with C: Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and of course, Chief Executive Officer (CEO).The larger the company, the more layers of management beneath them, including managers, directors, vice presidents and senior vice presidents. It’s not a static list. Not only do the layers seem to multiply, but so does the variety of C’s. While additions are made with some frequency (Chief Diversity Officer and Chief Digital Officer come to mind), we never seem to drop any titles from use.If this sounds like a gripe, or sarcasm, it’s not. Running a corporation is immensely complicated and I’m going to assume that these all are important roles. As a bonus: If there are more C’s, there are also more opportunities for those who want to work at this level.Given the short ten...