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As e-bikes proliferate, so do deadly fires blamed on exploding batteries

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:08:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The explosion early on a June morning ignited a blaze that engulfed a New York City shop filled with motorized bicycles and their volatile lithium-ion batteries. Billowing smoke quickly killed four people asleep in apartments above the burning store.As the ubiquity of e-bikes has grown, so has the frequency of fires and deaths blamed on the batteries that power them — sparking a push to better regulate how the batteries are manufactured, sold, reconditioned, charged and stored.Consumer advocates and fire departments, particularly in New York City, are urging the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish national safety standards and confiscate imports that don't comply with regulations at the border, so unsafe e-bikes and poorly manufactured batteries can be taken off the streets and out of homes.FILE - A biker stops to look at a pile of e-bikes in the aftermath of a fire in Chinatown, which authorities say started at an e-bike shop and spread to upper-flo...

OSHA cites Dollar General Austin location for safety violations

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:08:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Department of Labor announced Wednesday that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Dollar General for four violations at an Austin store. According to the announcement, OSHA cited Dollar General for blocked exits and fire extinguishers not maintained or mounted as required at the store on 825 E. Rundberg Ln. It said two of the violations were serious and two were repeats. OSHA proposed penalties of $298,685. “Far too often, our inspections at Dollar General stores find exits and pathways blocked by boxes of merchandise, rolling carts and other materials endangering the safety of employees,” said OSHA Area Director Monica Munoz according to the release. The announcement said Dollar General has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.KXAN emailed Dollar General...

Bastrop County to update 44-year-old case on Thursday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:08:11 GMT

BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) – The Bastrop County Sheriff's Department said officials will hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon to update a case from the 1970s. According to Wednesday's announcement, the case involves a woman's body found on U.S. Highway 290 near FM 696. That is just southeast of Elgin. The department said she was found on June 21, 1979 and authorities were not able to identify her at the time. The department announcement did not mention any new developments regarding the case. The press conference will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the sheriff's office.

Clarity for drivers in unique school zone split by two cities

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:08:11 GMT

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) -- The cities of Leander and Cedar Park have come to an agreement to make two different school zones near the city limits more uniform when it comes to the speed limit signs. Running Brushy Middle School, along Lakeline Boulevard, and Leander High School, along Bagdad Road, both sit along the border between both cities. The school zones in both these areas run from Leander to Cedar Park. Currently, the city of Cedar Park operates the school zone beacons located on the northbound side of traffic in both school zones, and Leander operates the beacons on the southbound side of traffic. But before the school year starts this year, Leander will take full operational control of the signs near Leander High School, and Cedar Park will take control of the signs near Running Brushy Middle School. Operational challenges Gina Ellison, Leander's director of public works, said the split school zones were creating some operational challenges. The two different school zone bea...

The sandwiches at Justin Sutherland’s Big E are pricey. But worth every penny.

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:08:11 GMT

Who knew that an egg sandwich could be controversial?Big E, chef Justin Sutherland’s ode to the humble egg, opened on Grand Avenue, adjacent to the Grand Ole Creamery, this spring. Almost immediately, social media channels lit up with complaints — not about the quality of the sandwiches, but about the price.And after a recent visit, I can tell you that while it’s true that the sandwiches are on the high end of what we in the Twin Cities are used to paying, they’re also much more than just egg sandwiches.If it helps you get around the $14-$17 price tag, think of them as delicious sandwiches with an eggy bonus.California Love ($15)California Love, a $15 egg sandwich from chef Justin Sutherland’s new eatery Big E on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)The best of the three I tried surprised me the most, because I usually prefer my eggs with the yolks still attached. The California Love, however, is an egg-white-only deal, topped with a very Californ...

Peekskill man indicted in fatal shooting of Poughkeepsie father

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:08:11 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Peekskill man was indicted in the fatal shooting of Ernest Wilson, a father from Poughkeepsie, in May. Reginald McClure, 39, was indicted for second-degree murder and four counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, on May 21, around 7:32 p.m., McClure allegedly confronted and chased Wilson while using a 9mm firearm, shooting approximately six rounds, and striking him twice. The shooting happened after Wilson dropped off his child with the child's mother at their Peekskill home. The Westchester District Attorney's Office says the child who was dropped off and another family member inside the home witnessed the shooting. Wilson was taken to Westchester Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries on May 24. Pine Bush man arrested for attempting to lure children McClure was arrested the...

98.3 TRY Social Dilemma: Do I Have to Hang The Bad Paintings My Niece Made For Me?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:08:11 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Today's 98.3 TRY Social Dilemma came from Roger and it's about gifts. Here's his email:Hi Jaime. I am having a gift dilemma. My niece is beautiful and wonderful, and I love her. That being said, she fancies herself a painter. I don't mean housepainter, I mean artist. And for my birthday the past two years, she's given me paintings. One was of a devilish mermaid and the other was of a horse with a man's face. Anyway, they're not very good. She lives in Ohio, so it's not an issue. Here's the problem. She's coming to visit for a week and my wife thinks I have to hang both of those paintings in the house while she's here. I feel like I can say I love them so much I brought them to the office and that will be that. But my wife says that's mean and I need to take down real art and put these up for the week that she's with us. What do you think? They're just so bad, I hate the idea of anyone accidentally seeing them while she's here and saying something mean. What ...

Pine Bush man arrested for attempting to lure children

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:08:11 GMT

BLOOMINGBURG, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Pine Bush man was arrested on Wednesday for attempting to lure children and exposing himself in public, according to New York State Police. James Grant Jr., 74, faces multiple charges. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On Wednesday, July 19, around 10:55 p.m., troopers responded to Main Street in the Village of Bloomingburg for reports of a man exposing himself and trying to lure children to him. Police say Grant exposed himself to an 8-year-old girl and asked her to touch him outside the Bloomingburg Post Office.Troopers say after interviewing residents in the area, they learned Grant attempted to lure several children to his car off Winterton Road. He was identified through photographs and video footage. He was arrested on Wednesday, July 26. Bombers Burrito Bar in Albany appears to have closed Charges:Luring a child to commit a crimeLewdnessExposing body in publicEndangering the welfare of a ...

Ask Amy: Sorority sisters might still be mean girls

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:08:11 GMT

Dear Amy: I graduated from college 45 years ago. I belonged to a sorority.I had five close friends, two of which I kept in contact with over the years.The other three drifted away my senior year when I took a semester abroad.Despite my efforts to stay in touch, they never wrote or acknowledged my letters, and when I returned for my last semester, they acted like strangers.Apparently, they resented my leaving because I had been the lynchpin that held the five of us together.At graduation we had all agreed to meet and introduce each other to our parents and family.The three never showed, nor did they try to contact me to explain or to say goodbye. They just vanished. I remember feeling hurt at the time but moved on with my life.I never heard from them again, until recently.Two of the three contacted me to see if I was planning to attend our 45th reunion, just as if nothing had happened. I kept my response light and friendly but made it clear that I had no plans to attend.My two closes...

The challenges facing global media debated in Azerbaijan’s cultural capital

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:08:11 GMT

Shusha in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was a fitting location for a global media forum that brought together representatives of the news business from all over the world. It is still being rebuilt and repopulated after its liberation from Armenian occupation in the Second Karabakh War, fought in 2020. But that was very much the point, writes Political Editor Nick Powell in Shusha.Shusha is a place that was ignored by most of the world’s media during the decades of occupation. Even the original Armenian invasion did not get that much global attention, though there were honourable exceptions, such as the Lithuanian journalist Richardas Lapaitis who reported on the massacre of Azeri civilians and was back in Shusha for the forum.Global media has a habit of ‘moving on’ even when there is much more to tell. It happened when the fighting in Ukraine first began in Donbas. I recall a senior executive of a British television channel rightly praising the team that had reported on the ear...