Southwest
Debris from Austin homeless encampment falling into creek: ‘Insanity’
An Austin, Texas resident who has been documenting the city’s homeless crisis shared a video Wednesday showing a greenbelt destroyed by a homeless encampment.
The Barton Creek Greenbelt in South Austin, lies along Barton Creek and connects to Barton Springs Pool – a popular area frequented by city residents.
Jamie Hammond, who uploads videos under the “Documenting Austin’s Streets and Homeless” account, said the greenbelt has gotten “so bad.” He said trash and debris from the encampment – including waste and needles – were falling into Barton Creek, which flows toward Barton Springs.
“If this doesn’t upset people, nothing will,” Hammond said in the video, while touring the wreckage. “Insanity.”
Last month, Hammond partnered with the group Nomadik to develop an AI interactive map, documenting the city’s homeless crisis. The map vividly depicts where homeless encampments are concentrated throughout the city.
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On Thursday, a brush fire broke out at the same encampment.
The Austin Fire Department said it was responding to a brush alarm in the greenbelt near the 4000 block of S Capital “near the old Toys R US.”
Later, AFD said the fire was “knocked down” in the greenbelt. Crews continued to work to extinguish and overhaul the fire.
City officials told Fox News Digital that outreach efforts at the encampment are underway and a cleanup is scheduled in the coming weeks.
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Southwest
Who is Mark Kelly? What to know about the senator from Arizona and possible VP pick
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, is rumored to be under consideration to serve as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
Kelly, a 60-year-old former astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, has represented Arizona in the U.S. Senate since 2020.
Kelly was elected to the Senate in a 2020 special election that was held following the death of longtime Republican Sen. John McCain in 2018, defeating incumbent GOP Sen. Martha McSally.
A native of Orange, New Jersey, Kelly graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1986. He later attended the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, receiving a Master of Science in aeronautical engineering in 1994.
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Kelly became a naval aviator in 1987 and was assigned to Attack Squadron 115 in Japan. He made two deployments and flew nearly 40 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm.
He received an array of commendations for his service in the military and retired from the Navy in October 2011. At the time, he wrote in a post on social media, “From the day I entered the United States Merchant Marine Academy in the summer of 1982 to the moment I landed the Space Shuttle Endeavour three weeks ago, it has been my privilege to advance the ideals that define the United States of America.”
Along with his identical twin brother, Scott Kelly, he was selected by NASA to serve as a space shuttle pilot in 1996.
Kelly, who took numerous trips beyond Earth’s atmosphere during his illustrious career as an astronaut, has reportedly logged more than 54 days in space.
Kelly, an independent turned Democrat in 2018, is the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who he married in 2007.
Following the attempted assassination attempt of Giffords in 2012, Kelly shied away from public life to assist with his wife’s recovery efforts.
He is also the author of multiple books, including one he co-authored with Giffords in 2012 titled, “Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence.”
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In January 2013, Kelly and Giffords launched a political action committee named Americans for Responsible Solutions. The organization’s mission promoted what it believed to be solutions to gun violence with elected lawmakers and members of the public.
He won re-election to the Senate in November 2022, when he defeated Republican nominee Blake Masters.
Kelly is not the first astronaut to be elected to Congress. Others include John Glenn, Harrison Schmitt and Jack Swigert.
He is viewed by many political strategists, primarily Democrats, as a safe move for Harris as she considers who will appear alongside her on the November ballot.
Three days after President Biden announced his decision to step aside in the 2024 race for the White House, Kelly fielded questions from reporters in the hallways of the U.S. Capitol, where he was asked whether he would accept the vice presidential nomination.
“This is not about me. This is about the future of this country,” Kelly said at the time.
“This is a choice between Kamala Harris, who’s an experienced prosecutor, vice president, U.S. senator, [California] attorney general, and a guy who’s a convicted felon,” Kelly added.
Kelly also predicted, following Biden’s drop out, that Harris “is going to win” the state of Arizona in the 2024 election.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel to light up for Team USA
The iconic Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier will light up nightly during the Paris Olympics to cheer on Team USA beginning Friday.
The nightly light display will feature the five colored rings to symbolize the Olympic rings, a 90-foot-tall waving American flag to celebrate Team USA, a French flag for the current host country and the American flag to represent the games returning to the United States, specifically Los Angeles in 2028.
The Ferris wheel will be lit up from sunset until 12:30 a.m.
The Pacific Wheel is the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel, featuring 174,000 LED lights mounted on its 40 spokes and two hubs. The wheel’s lighting system features 16.7 million color value combinations to display dynamic, custom, computer-generated lighting entertainment, according to a news release.
Visitors can visit the theme park from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. to catch a ride on the nine-story carnival ride, which takes riders to heights of more than 130 feet over the Pacific Ocean.
If you can’t make it out to the Santa Monica Pier yourself, Pacific Park offers an online stream of the Ferris wheel.
Los Angeles, Ca
Security guard attacked, hit with skateboard in Santa Ana
Police asked the public for help this week in their search for a man who attacked a Target security guard with a skateboard in Santa Ana last month.
The altercation occurred on June 10, when the security guard asked a trespassing suspect to leave the store located at 1441 W. 17th Street, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
“The suspect struck the victim multiple times with his skateboard, causing injuries, and then fled the store,” the Police Department stated in a post on Instagram.
Video embedded on the post shows the suspect swinging a skateboard at the guard and then running out of the store.
The attacker was described as a White man between 18 and 25 years old. He had a thin build, curly blonde hair, and was wearing a black sweatshirt, light-colored shirt, blue plaid shorts, black socks and black shoes.
Anyone with information was asked to call police at 714-245-8441.
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