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Cranberries can bounce, float and pollinate themselves: The saucy science of a Thanksgiving classic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:44 GMT

(The Conversation) - Cranberries are a staple in U.S. households at Thanksgiving – but how did this bog dweller end up on holiday tables?Compared to many valuable plant species that were domesticated over thousands of years, cultivated cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) is a young agricultural crop, just as the U.S. is a young country and Thanksgiving is a relatively new holiday. But as a plant scientist, I’ve learned much about cranberries’ ancestry from their botany and genomics.Keith Mann, 54, holds a handful of ripe cranberries at Mann Farms in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, on October 9, 2022. - Cranberry farmers are on the front lines of climate change. Their crop, the cranberries, fruits which are part of the traditional Thanksgiving meal, require just the right amounts of heat and cold to prosper, but with climate change bringing unpredictability they are having to use different techniques as they go to combat it. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZ...

Texas mom who gave birth alone in car struggles to get daughter's birth certificate

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:44 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Michelle Serrano Gonzalez canceled her last client for the day at her hair salon, as she said she dealt with intense pain and bleeding. "I was scared. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm going to die,'" Serrano Gonzalez said. "I just prayed, 'Oh Lord, help me.'"Serrano Gonzalez, a working mom of six, was nearing the end of her pregnancy in late October. At 42, she was set to have a C-Section. She said she's never given birth any other way. On the Monday before a traumatic life-changing event, Serrano Gonzalez said she went to her doctor, thinking her baby was coming. She said she was told she was having Braxton Hicks contractions and wasn't really in labor. Two days later, she would find herself alone in her car, delivering her baby herself. "The 911 operator on the phone said just go ahead and push, don't keep her in. And I pushed," Serrano Gonzalez said. "I could feel me tearing and I felt her head come out... I quickly just grabbed her. She was still in her sa...

25 years: Local nonprofit is national model for tackling homelessness

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On any given night, more than 1,000 people are sleeping on Austin streets.  Those numbers are coming from the latest point-in-time count from the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO). For decades, Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a nonprofit based in Austin, has grown into a national model for tackling homelessness and creating a new life for people who live on the streets. This year, Mobile Loaves & Fishes is celebrating 25 years of service. During its existence, the nonprofit has created a new pathway for homeless neighbors with affordable, permanent housing through Community First! Village, a 51-acre master planned development that offers a supportive community for women and men exiting chronic homelessness. Sitting on the front porch at a tiny home in Community First! Village, we found J.R. and Blair enjoying their Friday afternoon with the sounds of the harmonica filling the air. Blair Racine is known as the mayor of Community First! Village. “I talk to...

One-minute test can help millions of people who don't know they have prediabetes, according to CDC

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is rolling out a new campaign encouraging people to take a one-minute test to see if they are at risk of prediabetes."Prediabetes is just when a person's blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes," said Dr. Christopher Holliday, director of the Division of Diabetes Translation for the CDC.Experts say finding out if you are at risk of prediabetes is the first step to preventing or delaying a more serious problem."Prediabetes is a serious health condition that puts people at risk for other health conditions like type two diabetes, or heart attack and stroke," said Holliday, who helped spearhead the 'Do I Have Prediabetes?' campaign for the CDC."One in three U.S. adults has prediabetes ,and 81% of them don't know they have it. That amounts to about 98 million people," Holliday said. "Largely, prediabetes is asymptomatic. There are no signs or symptoms."The test aims to help people f...

Inside the Investigations: Travis County DA's conviction data

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Each week the in-depth reporting from the KXAN Investigates team will get a spotlight on KXAN Live.A conversation will happen Tuesday morning with investigative reporter Kelly Wiley and KXAN Live anchor Will DuPree to break down one of this week’s top stories. Note: These conversations typically happen on Wednesday morning, but the schedule was changed this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.The discussion will include investigative reporter Avery Travis as well as investigative producer Dalton Huey. People can watch a live conversation of their conversation starting at about 9 a.m. in this story and on the KXAN News Facebook page. Inside the Investigations: OutLaw Catalyst project The story they'll discuss this week is:The Travis County district attorney publicized a sharp increase in the conviction rate for violent, sexual and weapons-related offenses, but KXAN investigators found the formula used to calculate these statistics left some experts ...

Live updates: Hamas officials say hostage agreement could be reached soon

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:44 GMT

By The Associated PressSenior Hamas officials said Tuesday that an agreement could be reached soon in which the militant group would release hostages and Israel would free Palestinian prisoners.Israel, the United States and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, have been negotiating for weeks over a hostage release that would be paired with a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid. Similar predictions of a hostage agreement in recent weeks have proven premature.Israel’s army is widening its operations across northern Gaza, where they battled Palestinian militants on Tuesday in the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp, the territory’s largest.The military said forces are “preparing the battlefield” in the Jabaliya area, just north of Gaza City, and have killed dozens of militants in recent days. Troops discovered three tunnel shafts where fighters were hiding and destroyed rocket launchers, it said. It wasn’t possible to indep...

23-year-old accused of attempted murder in Orwell

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:44 GMT

ORWELL, Vt. (NEWS10) -- Police have arrested the 23-year-old suspect they were looking for, in connection to a shooting that took place in Orwell, Vermont. Trent J. Beayon, of Burlington and Orwell, Vermont, is charged with attempted murder and more. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Vermont State Police say Beayon was visiting a home at 195 Fisher Road in Orwell when a dispute happened involving several people at the residence. According to police, Beayon fired at least one round from a semiautomatic 9mm handgun at Paxton Tabue, a 25-year-old from Orwell. Police say Tabue wasn't injured in the shooting. Beayon fled the scene. NYSP: Schenectady man accused of having child pornography Charges:Attempted murderReckless endangermentAggravated assaultBeayon was arrested around 4:40 p.m. on Monday. He surrendered to police after they responded to a residence on Quarry Hill Road in South Burlington. he was brought to the Williston bar...

Gold, jewelry, more in Illinois unclaimed-property auction

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:44 GMT

Collectible coins, jewelry and basketball-related memorabilia are among hundreds of unclaimed property items to be auctioned Nov. 27-Dec. 1, according to a news release from Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs. “Our online auction offers an excellent opportunity for people to find distinctive items to add to a personal collection or to present to others as the perfect gift,” said Frerichs, whose office oversees unclaimed property in Illinois. “The online auction also is convenient, allowing people to shop from the comfort of home or anywhere they choose.”Items to be auctioned include an American Eagle gold coin proof set, Carson City Morgan silver dollars, a Hamilton 992B 21-jewel pocket watch, silver Eagle bullion rounds and a 1900 Lafayette commemorative dollar coin.Other available items include a man’s 14-karat brushed white gold ring with blue Lindy star sapphire, as well as Michael Jordan comic books and basketball cards featuring Jordan and other NBA stars, including Mag...

Proud to Serve: Andy Crump from Lincoln County Fire Protection District receives $500 and our Proud to Serve award

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:44 GMT

LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. - By the age of fourteen, Andy Crump decided he wanted to be a firefighter. With encouragement from his uncle, also a firefighter, and his family, he joined the Fire Explorers program in Hazelwood and graduated from high school with his sights set to complete both the Fire Academy and Paramedic’s Academy while volunteering with several medical facilities.  He and his wife met in high school, and she became a dispatcher for a while. He was a hospital paramedic for a few years.Today, Andy works 48-hour shifts for the Lincoln County Fire Protection District, which covers 136 square miles. He was once part of a 3-man team, which meant early on that each shift was responding to about 20 calls per rotation. Today, they have doubled the size in Lincoln County to two firehouses. Andy loves to cook in the fire house.A family member nominated Andy and told FOX 2:Andy Crump (nicknamed 'Diesel') started his path as a firefighter because his uncl...

Caught on Camera: Police investigating Soulard business break-in

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:44 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Emergency crews are responding to a south St. Louis City business break-in Tuesday morning. Our Nissan Rogue Runner reporter, Nic Lopez, captured footage of the scene located at 'Hammerstone's'on 9th and Russell,' where workers are currently cleaning the broken glass that would be burglars caused from the front door. Assessments rise for 97% of St. Louis County homeowners, but not county executive The manager shared that the thieves didn't get away with anyhting, as they fled with empty cash drawers. The business still expects to open later Tuesday. FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.