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Think being a NASCAR driver isn’t as physically demanding as other sports? Think again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:36 GMT

(The Conversation) - Imagine an NBA game played outdoors. In August. In Phoenix. Tip-off is at noon. There are no timeouts. There is no halftime. There are no substitutions. And players must wear snowsuits, gloves, and ski masks.Sounds ridiculous, right?Yet race car drivers routinely compete under similar conditions.On July 1, 2023, for the first time in over 60 years, NASCAR, the nation’s premier stock car series, will hold a race on the streets of a U.S. city at the Grant Park 220 in Chicago.The fans who attend are sure to appreciate the sound, speed and spectacle. But how many truly grasp the physical and mental strain placed on the drivers?Our research team from the University of Florida and Michigan State University is collaborating with NASCAR to better understand the stressors drivers experience on the track.We’ve learned that professional drivers need extraordinary physical and mental stamina to compete in major racing series such as NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One. Our data...

VOTE: Help us choose the best KXAN viewer photo of June 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here at KXAN, we get hundreds of photos sent to us each month by viewers just like you.We want to showcase some of the best pictures we receive, so we narrowed them down to our 10 favorites for the month.Help us choose the best viewer photo of June 2023. Look through the 10 pictures below, then vote for your favorite. The winning photo will move on to represent June in the best viewer photos of the year competition once 2023 is said and done.If you’d like to submit a photo for July's competition, email it to [email protected]. Be on the lookout as KXAN may contact you to send a permission form so we can use your photo on air and online. All submissions must be taken in July 2023.Here are the options for June, in no particular order.Purple RainAustin, June 3.Lightning over downtown Austin on June 3, 2023. (KXAN Viewer Photo)Sunny SceneSnook, June 12. Courtesy Lori Rosenbaum Hardage.A field of sunflowers at Wilder Family Sunflowers in Snook on June 12, 2023. ...

Project adds local art to downtown Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Downtown Austin Alliance is making an effort to beautify downtown.This is part of the organization's Writing on the Walls project, which launched in 2020. The project pays local artists to help create murals and art downtown."There are so many opportunities to enhance downtown through art." Vaness Olson, the communications director for the Downtown Austin Alliance. "One of those includes our box program—transforming utility boxes to be full pieces of art and for people to enjoy downtown."The group's main goal is to "uplift the local art community' through events and public projects." They also hold things like the Art & Parks Tour, a curated walk through downtown to look at some of the art created by participants.The next park for the organization's Community Activated Parks Project is a mural for Old Bakery Park.

Family files wrongful death lawsuit after construction-related death in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A wrongful death lawsuit has officially been filed by the wife and family of a man who was killed by falling debris near a construction site in March.Michael Delgado, 29, was riding his bike in the 2400 block of Rio Grande Street on Rio Grande Street when he was hit by falling debris on the evening of March 2.At the time, an attorney for the Delgado family said UT students offered aid before emergency responders arrived, and Delgado was transported to a nearby hospital where he later died from his injuries. PAST COVERAGE: Man killed by falling construction debris near UT Austin campus, APD investigating The original petition for the suit from Delgado's family alleges that Greystar Development, who was in charge of construction at the building, was responsible for Delgado's death through negligence, as the piece of debris that fell on him was not secured despite there being a wind and weather advisory in effect at the time.This was not the first time Greystar has go...

One more afternoon in triple digits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- June ended Friday with record heat. Camp Mabry had a high of 102° to establish a new maximum daily record. The previous record was 101° first set in 1980 and tied in 2018. The month closed with 15 days of a triple-digit high temperature. The beginning of July will find highs just a few degrees lower with most readings in the upper 90s to around 100°. Based on the current forecast it looks like this may be the end of highs reaching three figures for awhile.One more day in some cities of a high at or above 100° Today and much of tonight will be dry. This morning's map modeling indicates the presence of a few overnight showers and thunderstorms moving into some of Gillespie and Mason Counties after 4 a.m., lasting until around 8 to 9 a.m. A few showers/isolated thunderstorms may develop in the Hill Country during the afternoon.It's been more than ten days since the area had measured rainThe celebration of our nation's birthday will be partly sunny with only a 10% chanc...

‘Walking play’ about the Dalai Lama celebrates Tibetan culture through music and dance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:36 GMT

Fourteen years after it was last performed, a “walking play” about the life and teachings of the Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama is returning to Minneapolis.The play, called “The Buddha Prince,” was co-created by theater artist Markell Kiefer and musician Tenzin Ngawang and highlights what they view as the Dalai Lama’s universal messages: Compassion, kindness, truth.“For us as Tibetans, this is one of the most important stories of all time,” Ngawang said. “For Tibet, it means our heart and soul.”“The Buddha Prince” opened June 23 and will continue to be performed Thursdays through Sundays until July 9. Shows take place at Washburn Fair Oaks Park in Minneapolis, across from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.Tickets are $25 for adults and free for kids, though a pay-what-you-can option is available. Showtimes vary and can be found online at buddhaprince.org.“The Buddha Prince” dramatizes the early life of the current 14th Dalai Lama, who has led Tibetans worldwide in preserving and conn...

Psychedelic regulations, Miranda rights, car theft penalties among new Colorado laws taking effect July 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:36 GMT

Thirteen newly signed laws will take effect Saturday, bringing with them new regulations around the use of psychedelics, tighter criminal penalties for auto thefts, and a codification of Miranda rights in Colorado state law.The state legislature, which finished its work for the year in early May, passed 484 bills, forwarding them to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk. He vetoed 10 — a personal record — and allowed an 11th (regarding state employee insurance premiums) to pass into law without his signature.Some new laws took effect immediately, but July 1 is a typical start date by which new statutes begin to kick in.Saturday is also the start of the state’s new fiscal year, meaning the legislature’s new $38.5 billion budget will become effective then, too. Other new laws govern criminal sentencing, a new felony for pointing a laser at an aircraft, and exempting small businesses out of retail delivery fees.Past provisions of old bills kick in now, too: The deadline ...

Google Pixel Fold review: Foldable phones are improving

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:36 GMT

When I recently turned on Google’s new Pixel Fold smartphone and unfolded it as if it were a book, it transformed into a miniature tablet, similar to an iPad Mini or an Amazon Fire. Then something unexpected happened.For the next few hours, I found it difficult to put the device down, as if I were sucked into a great novel. The phone’s performance was smooth and fast, and the bigger screen made reading emails, watching videos and reading comic books more delightful than on a normal phone screen.I was surprised because I have been wary of foldable phones. The earliest models released by Samsung, Motorola and Huawei about four years ago had glaring flaws. They were thick and heavy, had durability issues and lacked software to take advantage of their novel hardware. But I immediately knew the Pixel Fold — Google’s first foldable phone — was different.When I folded the device back up, a second 5.8-inch outer screen illuminated, converting it into a regular smartphone that could be...

Rico Munn discrimination complaint linked to long-simmering disagreements about approach to Black teacher retention

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:36 GMT

Black and Hispanic teachers in the Aurora school district have complained for years of mistreatment and discrimination — even as the district was led by a Black superintendent and equity efforts to hire and retain more teachers of color ramped up.Whether that superintendent, Rico Munn, did enough to support Black educators is behind a discrimination complaint Munn filed as he departed the district under a negotiated agreement.According to two independent investigations, Munn alleged that Black board members Stephanie Mason and Tremaine Duncan called his Blackness into question and expected him to act in certain ways because he was Black while holding him to unwritten expectations — actions that he said ultimately created a hostile work environment and led to him being unjustly removed from his position.Related ArticlesEducation | Ex-Aurora superintendent ousted because of his race, called “not Black enough” by school board members, report finds ...

Colorado gardening: What is bolting, why it happens, and what to do 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:36 GMT

As July begins, the cool and wet start of the growing season with moments of warm weather affected vegetables in a variety of ways. For some annuals, this means they have bolted. (Insert a screaming face on every gardener.)OK, so bolting is not a problem in and of itself. It is the plant doing what it needs for survival. Bolting means a plant has gone to seed, shifting its energy away from growing roots and the edible parts we like. Instead, it starts planning for its future: seeds. Technically, bolting refers to a premature flowering,  often before you have fully (or at all) harvested. All annuals will flower at some point. Ideally, not until they have had a full cycle and harvest.Bolting happens when plants are stressed. One of the main stressors for cool-weather crops is when the temperature changes to hot. Here on the Front Range this season, we have had a wide range of temperatures, which creates stress. The longer, cooler, rainy start should have meant the cool-weather vegetab...