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Erdogan unveils Turkey’s first astronaut on election trail

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:52 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s first astronaut will travel to the International Space Station by the end of the year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.Air force pilot Alper Gezeravci, 43, was selected to be the first Turkish citizen in space. His backup is Tuva Cihangir Atasever, 30, an aviation systems engineer at Turkish defense contractor Roketsan.Erdogan made the announcement at the Teknofest aviation and space fair in Istanbul, the president’s first public appearance since falling ill during a TV interview on Tuesday. He appeared alongside Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, and Libya’s interim prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.“Our friend, who will go on Turkey’s first manned space mission, will stay on the International Space Station for 14 days,” Erdogan said. “Our astronaut will perform 13 different experiments prepared by our country’s esteemed universities and research institutions during this mission.”Erdogan described Gezeravci as a “heroic Turkish...

Sunshine and strong winds on your Saturday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A Wind Advisory will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Hays, Travis and Williamson Counties eastward. Winds will come out of the northwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts as high as 30 to 40 mph.Strong northwest winds through mid-afternoonWindy at noon SaturdayOutside of the wind the rest of the forecast calls for a sunny sky with highs in the low to mid 70s. Highs will be warmer tomorrow afternoon, the last day of April, with maximums reaching the mid to upper 80s. Some low 90s will be possible in the Hill Country.A little cool today with highs below the normal of 83° RAIN TOTALS: See how much rain your neighborhood recorded The start of May will be quiet with a sunny to partly cloudy sky and highs in the low to mid 80s. Dry weather continues Tuesday and Wednesday.Disturbances in the southwest to northeast wind aloft will bring our next chance of showers and thunderstorms Thursday to Saturday. Long-range future rain totals show little being measured.Friday Evening S...

Texas DPS issues CLEAR Alert for missing man

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Overnight, the San Antonio Police Department said it was searching for a missing man, and the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a CLEAR Alert.According to SAPD, 63-year-old Liwu Qian was last seen at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the 1400 block of Saddle Blanket in San Antonio in a white 2020 Toyota Camry, bearing TX license plate NFF2390.Qian was described as a 5'6" Asian man weighing 140 pounds. Police said he has black hair and black eyes.Law enforcement officials said they believe his disappearance posed a credible threat to his own health and safety.Anyone with information regarding this endangered missing person should contact the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-7660.

Manor ISD confirms new superintendent

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Manor ISD will have a new superintendent next school year. Robert Sormani will start May 1 with a three-year contract. The Manor ISD board of trustees approve the contract Friday. PAST COVERAGE: Manor ISD announces new Superintendent “I am honored to be able to return to Manor ISD and serve this wonderful community again. I look forward to increasing the academic achievement of all of our students” Sormani said in a release.Sormani worked most recently for Hutto ISD as an associate superintendent. Before Hutto, he served as Manor ISD's director of curriculum and instruction.He also previously worked at Round Rock ISD as a principal and at Austin ISD as a history teacher. PREVIOUS: Manor ISD superintendent to resign in June 2023 Former superintendent Andre Spencer left the district Dec. 30, 2022, to move closer to family, the district previously said. Chief Schools Officer Michael Perkins has served as acting superintendent since then.

St. Louis community rallies around critically injured police officer with fundraiser event

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Family and friends are hoping people here in the St. Louis area will step up to support a heroic police officer who was critically shot. A barbecue, raffle, and auction will take place Saturday, May 20th, at the "Elks Lodge in Eureka." The money raised will go toward medical bills for Adam Sullentrup. The 31-year-old officer was shot in the head while trying to arrest a suspect back in March. He's currently being treated at a specialty hospital in Colorado.The fundraiser will feature several auction items. For more information on the event or how you can help support the family, watch "Pulse of St. Louis" tonight at 7:30 p.m. on K-P-l-r 11 and tomorrow at 10 a.m. here on Fox 2.

China says chatbots must toe the party line

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:52 GMT

Five months after ChatGPT set off an investment frenzy over artificial intelligence, Beijing is moving to rein in China’s chatbots, a show of the government’s resolve to keep tight regulatory control over technology that could define an era.The Cyberspace Administration of China this month unveiled draft rules for so-called generative AI — the software systems, like the one behind ChatGPT, that can formulate text and pictures in response to a user’s questions and prompts.According to the regulations, companies must heed the Chinese Communist Party’s strict censorship rules, just as websites and apps have to avoid publishing material that besmirches China’s leaders or rehashes forbidden history. The content of AI systems will need to reflect “socialist core values” and avoid information that undermines “state power” or national unity.Companies will also have to make sure their chatbots create words and pictures that are truthful and respect intellectual property, and will be re...

With one service center open, Rivian plans second in Colorado as push for electric vehicles revs up

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:52 GMT

Denver is home to one of Rivian’s 28 service centers and the company that makes electric pickup trucks and SUVs expects to open a second location in Colorado soon as the push for more electric vehicles continues in the state.Rivian opened its center in north Denver a little more than a year ago and provides services to more than 1,000 vehicles in the area, said spokeswoman Miranda Jimenez. The center is where people pick up the vehicles they order and can test drive the futuristic-looking pickup, the R1T, or Rivian’s SUV, the R1S.Jimenez said there are thousands of people in the Denver area who have Rivians on order.Rivian also makes electric delivery vans for Amazon. The e-commerce giant’s all-electric vans hit Denver-area streets for the first time in late 2022.About 30 people work at the service center. Jimenez said the company is hiring more employees and plans to open a service center in Colorado Springs in the summer.Plans for expansion come as the state step...

Parents who don’t speak English would have more access to translated documents under Colorado bill

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:52 GMT

The personalized education plans that spell out how a school intends to support a student with a disability can run dozens of pages and be full of technical language.And in many Colorado school districts, parents who speak a language other than English don’t see a copy of their child’s plan in the language they understand best until they’re being asked to sign a legally binding final version.A bill in the Colorado legislature would change that, requiring that final education plans be translated, as also required by federal law, and allowing parents to request draft documents in their preferred language. A separate school finance bill would allocate $500,000 to offset school district costs for translating more documents.Related ArticlesEducation | A bill that would increase pay transparency for Colorado’s gig drivers is teetering Education | Gun rights advocates launch legal action after Gov. Jared Polis signs 4 gun bills into law Education | ...

Denver’s affordable housing shortfall a misery shared in cities across the Western Hemisphere

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:52 GMT

Mayors of 250 cities from Canada to Chile didn’t have to look far to see one of the chief concerns they came to discuss during the first Cities Summit of the Americas held in Denver on Thursday and Friday.Issues like the digital divide, sustainable development and accommodating migrants were all discussed, but those are more hidden. Denver’s lack of affordable housing was on full display just outside the Colorado Convention Center, and for many, it was a struggle they knew all too well.“What would it feel like if everybody were housed in your community,” Charlie Clark, mayor of the Canadian city of Saskatoon, asked those attending a panel on “Cities for Adequate Housing” held Thursday afternoon.The question, one he has asked others before, came to him again as he walked downtown, he said. He noticed the large number of unhoused people living on the streets. Then he noticed the heavy presence of armed security guards. And he also recalled the strug...

A bill that would increase pay transparency for Colorado’s gig drivers is teetering

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:52 GMT

When Colorado lawmakers in January unveiled a bill designed to increase transparency for ride-hail and delivery drivers, the tech companies sounded a cooperative tone.“We’ve long supported many of these ideas,” an Uber spokesman said.“Fair deactivations and pay transparency are important issues,” a Lyft representative said.But three months later, those companies and other business groups are lobbying heavily against the legislation, warning consumers about “unprecedented fees” and safety concerns that, they argue, would allow dangerous drivers to stay behind the wheel.Now, with just a week left in the legislative session, the future of the bill is murky. The Senate Finance Committee has bumped votes on SB23-098 multiple times, with key lawmakers voicing concern about portions of the proposal, including a state-run review board to oversee driver activations.“It doesn’t have the votes and I’m not the swing vote,” Sen. K...