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Texas ranked among cheapest energy states in the nation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:18 GMT

TEXAS (KIAH) – As the U.S. continues to experience record-breaking heat, many want to keep the air conditioning on as much as possible – but that’s more costly in some states.A recent ranking from WalletHub, a personal finance website, aimed to rank “the most and least energy-expensive states.” Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, WalletHub compared the average monthly energy bills in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.To do this, WalletHub used an equation that factored in the average monthly consumption of electricity, natural gas, heating oil, and fuel, as well as the average prices of these types of energy.According to the study, Texas is the third least energy-expensive state in the U.S. and stood out for its low motor fuel price and its home heating-oil consumption per consumer.  Data shows Texans pay $153 on average for their monthly electricity and $68 for their monthly natural gas. They also typically pay about $158 a month to fill ...

PD: Texas tattoo artist arrested after minor posing as adult gets tattoo without parent's permission

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:18 GMT

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Texas tattoo artist was arrested after a minor posing as an adult got a tattoo without her parent's consent, documents detail.Edith Cuthbertson, of McAllen, was arrested on a charge of tattoo regulation requirements, according to Hidalgo County Jail records.A probable cause affidavit stated that on March 22, the mother of a 14-year-old girl reported to police that her daughter got a tattoo without her permission.The mother told police that when she confronted Cuthbertson, she apologized and told her the girl claimed to be 19 years old. Police spoke with the 14-year-old girl, who said she went in an Uber without her mother's consent and signed a contract stating that she was 19 years old. She said the artist never asked for identification. When investigators spoke with Cuthbertson, she said she originally requested a $50 payment and identification. The girl said her wallet had been stolen and did not have an ID, but asked if she could send a birth c...

Central Texas counties part of 150 Texas counties deemed primary natural disaster areas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:18 GMT

(FOX 44) - The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 150 Texas counties as primary natural disaster areas due to a qualifying drought. The list includes Travis, Williamson, and many other Central Texas counties.This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. These loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or to refinance certain debts. The FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. The application deadline is November 17, 2023.According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of a severe drought for eight or more consecutive weeks, and extreme drought or exceptional drought.The primary c...

Texas duo sent to prison for attempting to transport 558 lbs of liquid meth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:18 GMT

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Brownsville resident was ordered to prison for helping traffic 558 pounds of liquid meth in a gas tank, the United States Attorney's Office announced. Ernesto Vargas, 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute liquid meth from south Texas to Dallas.According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Vargas was responsible for helping Pedro Rodriguez III, 45 of San Benito, transport the meth across the state in early January.On Jan. 11, authorities conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Rodriguez was driving after he switched lanes without signaling.During the traffic stop, officials discovered Rodriguez had pending state warrants and took him into custody. Authorities later conducted a search of Rodriguez's vehicle and found approximately 558 pounds of liquid meth, valued at $650,000, hidden inside a gas tank.Rodriguez admitted he knew the meth was in the gas tank and agreed to transport the drugs to the Dallas area.The U.S. Atto...

Man dies when boat sinks on Lake Pueblo, two others rescued

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:18 GMT

One man died and two other people were rescued when the boat they were riding in sank in Lake Pueblo Saturday, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.The small ski boat sank Saturday evening near the big Lizard Picnic Pavilion on the lake’s north side, about 50 yards offshore in about seven feet of water, according to an agency news release.Two passengers were wearing life jackets when the boat sank and survived after being rescued by park rangers. A third passenger, a man who was wearing boots, pants and no life jacket, tried to swim to shore but was unable to.Frantic witnesses tried to swim out to the man but couldn’t reach him in time, according to the news release. His body was recovered by the Pueblo County Sheriff’s volunteer dive team. The man has not been publicly identified.The survivors told rangers that the boat began taking on water shortly after they left the marina. Authorities believe the weight of the water and the choppy waves on the lake swamped...

World Cup winner Lionel Messi set to be unveiled by Inter Miami and Major League Soccer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:18 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The stage is set. Lionel Messi is about to meet his new fans at Inter Miami.An event billed as “The Unveil” — or “La PresentaSíon,” as the club is calling it — is Sunday night at the team's stadium in Fort Lauderdale. It comes one day after Messi and Inter Miami finalized his signing through the 2025 season.It's the start of a busy week of events for Messi with his new club. His first official training session that will be open to reporters is set for Tuesday and — if all goes to plan — he will play Friday in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul. The team had scheduled a Monday news conference with Messi and team officials, then announced Sunday it was being postponed, without any explanation.The World Cup champion for Argentina and seven-time Ballon d'Or winner as the world's best player in a given year is joining a club that has the fewest points in MLS and is mired in an 11-match winless streak. Inter Miami opened the season with two wins and has gon...

SF Giants erupt in 10th inning to sweep series from Pirates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:18 GMT

Slumbering offensively for the better part of the previous 18 innings, the Giants erupted for five runs in the 10th Sunday in an 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete a three-game sweep at PNC Park.The Giants opened the ninth with a single by Wilmer Flores against Pittsburgh reliever Yerry De Los Santos (0-1), advancing free runner Casey Schmitt to third base. Pederson was next and flew out to center to drive in Schmitt, and after J.D. Davis walked, Michael Conforto doubled to right center to bring in two more runs.They weren’t done, with Patrick Bailey, who had entered as defensive replacement, doubling in two more runs for a five-run lead.The Giants, 52-41, are 11 games over .500 for the third time this season and have yet to make it to 12 heading into a four-game road series against the Cincinnati Reds. Pittsburgh is 41-52.Heading into the 10th, the Giants had nine hits and had struck out 26 times in the previous 18 innings against Pirates pitching. Conforto also ...

Djokovic’s Wimbledon mastery meets its match in men’s final

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:18 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England — Carlos Alcaraz said he wanted another shot at Novak Djokovic. Said it would make winning a Wimbledon championship more special. Well, Alcaraz got his chance to face Djokovic. And he beat him.Alcaraz put aside a poor start and surged down the stretch to end Djokovic’s 34-match winning streak at the All England Club by edging him 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in an engaging, back-and-forth final on Sunday, claiming his first championship at Wimbledon and second Grand Slam trophy overall.The No. 1-ranked Alcaraz prevented No. 2 Djokovic from collecting what would have been a record-tying eighth title, and fifth in a row, at the grass-court tournament. Djokovic also was kept from earning a 24th career major.Instead of Djokovic, a 36-year-old from Serbia, becoming the oldest male champion at Wimbledon in the Open era, Alcaraz, a 20-year-old from Spain, became the third-youngest. The age gap between the two was the widest in any men’s Slam final since 1974.So Alcaraz ha...

British Open has an old course with a new finish at Royal Liverpool

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:18 GMT

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — Cameron Young is playing only his second British Open, so Royal Liverpool is a new links for him to learn. After flying in Sunday morning, he kept his day short by skipping over from the 14th green to the 18th tee.That’s when his caddie, Paul Tesori, became part tour guide, part historian.Pointing to a small grandstand behind the 17th tee, Tesori told Young it previously was the 15th green. The old 15th tee — a par 3 — now is a 620-yard par 5 — the longest in Open history — that heads back toward town. Also moved back is the 18th tee, now playing some 60 yards longer.Thirty-eight players in the field for the 151st Open also were at Royal Liverpool the last time in 2014. Only nine players in the field were at the last two.For all of them, this old course has a new finish.Players began filtering in for the final major of the year. Phil Mickelson was among the early arrivals, a LIV Golf player who played two weeks ago outside London. Abraham Ancer, another...

Metro adding lights at some bus stops to help rail riders catch their bus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:18 GMT

Metro is testing a new system they say will help rail riders catch their connecting bus a little easier.New strobing bus transfer lights at some bus stops located outside of Metrorail stations will alert operators when a train is approaching the station during off-peak hours so they can delay the bus by up to five minutes, giving people exiting the train a little more time to catch their bus connection.Metro said in a news release that the bus transfer lights are going to be near bus stops that serve lower-frequency routes, “where missing a bus by a few minutes may delay an important trip by 30 minutes to an hour.”The goal is to reduce bus waiting times, especially at night.The daily off-peak hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to midnight.The new bus signal testing began on Saturday at the Greenbelt station where the light signal alerts bus operators on the C2 route of trains approaching near the time their bus is scheduled to depart the station.Source