Spain’s Socialists and conservative challengers in close contest with half of votes counted

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:44:21 GMT

Spain’s Socialists and conservative challengers in close contest with half of votes counted MADRID (AP) — Early election returns showed the Socialist Party of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez running neck-and-neck Sunday with the conservative Popular Party. With just over half of ballots counted, the Socialists were on course to take 129 seats in the lower house of the Madrid-based national parliament. The Popular Party, which is hoping to win its first national ballot since 2016, appeared poised to win 130 seats, far below pre-election expectations. The absolute majority needed to form a government is 176 seats.Sánchez is trying to win a third consecutive national election since taking power in 2018. The Socialists and the junior member of its coalition government took a beating from the conservative party and the far-right Vox party in regional and local elections in May, prompting Sánchez to call Sunday’s early election. Most polling during the campaign forecast that the national vote would go the same way but require the Popular Party to rely on support from ...

Frustrated lawmakers demand answers on UFOs

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:44:21 GMT

Frustrated lawmakers demand answers on UFOs (The Hill) – Senior lawmakers are increasingly demanding that military and other government officials provide them with information about intelligence on unidentified flying objects (UFOs) or unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).The demands reflect frustrations on the part of some lawmakers that they are being kept in the dark about what’s known about UFOs and UAPs.The lawmakers do not necessarily believe the government is hiding signs of extraterrestrial life from the public and congressional oversight. But they are frustrated they are not learning more about unknown objects flying in restricted U.S. air space.“My primary interest in this topic is if there are … object[s] operating over restricted air space, it’s not ours and we don’t know whose it is, that’s a problem that we need to get to the bottom of,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.“If there’s an explanation for it that’s being kept from Congress, then we need to force the i...

3 injured after plane crashes into vacant home in Georgetown

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:44:21 GMT

3 injured after plane crashes into vacant home in Georgetown GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — First responders arrived at the site of a plane crash in Georgetown on Sunday, according to officials.The Georgetown Texas Fire Department said the plane crash occurred just before noon in the 500 block of North Wood Drive.A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house Sunday in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (Courtesy Georgetown Fire Department)A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house Sunday in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house Sunday in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house Sunday in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house Sunday in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)A small...

Austin artists create 100-pound, 60-foot Burning Man art piece

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:44:21 GMT

Austin artists create 100-pound, 60-foot Burning Man art piece AUSTIN (KXAN) — A group of Austin artists are spearheading an approximately 100-pound, 60-foot art installation heading to the 2023 Burning Man festival late next month.The installation, entitled "1000 Hands," is a fabric-based art piece designed to reflect the effects of our "climate reality" amid ongoing environmental impacts due to climate change. Where to go, what to do in Texas when it’s too hot to handle "Knowing how we were going with materials led us to create the narrative that felt the most pressing to us — something that's on the forefront of what we care about and what we try to put out into the world," said Maria Gotay, the lead producer behind "1000 Hands."The piece entirely comprises hand-woven and dyed fabrics to reflect the abstract landscapes of the desert, with vibrant colors reflecting the rising sun and mountain ranges in the distance. In the evening, the piece will illuminate courtesy of hundreds of LED lights interwoven into it, the project's tech lead Janit...

Gas prices rise during summer travel season

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:44:21 GMT

Gas prices rise during summer travel season (FOX 44) - The statewide gas price average in Texas is $3.21 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel, according to the AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch. This price is two cents more than on this day last week, and is 77 cents less per gallon compared to this day last year. Of the major metropolitan areas surveyed in Texas, drivers in El Paso are paying the most on average - at $3.47 per gallon. Drivers in San Angelo are paying the least, at $2.95 per gallon. In Bryan-College Station, prices rose four cents up to $3.17. In Bell County, prices rose two cents to $3.13. In Waco, prices rose six cents to $3.18.The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $3.58, which is three cents more when compared to this day last week, and 89 cents less than the price per gallon at this same time last year. West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices continue to remain around $75 per barrel, which is about $8 more per barrel compared to the start of June. With more expensive crude and the fac...

Jace Frederick: Every PGA Tour tournament should get a crack at being an elevated event, including the 3M Open

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:44:21 GMT

Jace Frederick: Every PGA Tour tournament should get a crack at being an elevated event, including the 3M Open Justin Thomas isn’t entering this week’s 3M Open under the best of circumstances.It’s no secret that if the superstar was playing better and already had secured hits spots both in the FedExCup playoffs and on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, the 30-year-old likely wouldn’t be flying back across the pond to Minnesota to play the week following a major championship. The 3M Open begins Thursday at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.But, luckily for this state’s golf fans, it’s been a tough-luck season for Thomas, meaning they’ll get a first-hand look at one of the faces of the game. The tournament will surely roll out the red carpet for Thomas in hopes that his experience in Blaine is so positive that he’ll return in the future, even when his game is in better shape.That’s the game tournaments like the 3M Open, which aren’t steeped in tradition and don’t have the most favorable position on the Tour’s schedule, have to play. You do ...

Scott Rolen enshrined in baseball's Hall of Fame, credits Cardinals and family for Cooperstown call

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:44:21 GMT

Scott Rolen enshrined in baseball's Hall of Fame, credits Cardinals and family for Cooperstown call COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Scott Rolen! The longtime St. Louis Cardinals third baseman was officially enshrined into Cooperstown on Sunday after years of top-notch production at the hot corner and in the batter's box. The National Baseball Hall of Fame has officially inducted Rolen and Fred McGriff among baseball's all-time greats. Elected in January, Rolen now holds a special place as the only primary third baseman in the Hall of Fame to ever play for the Cardinals. Rolen, born and raised near redbird territory in Evansville, Indiana, rocked a Cardinals cap in his Hall of Fame plaque. He largely credits his time in St. Louis for his Cooperstown call, decorating his case with four Gold Gloves, four All Star nods and a World Series title from 2002-2007. FOX 2 Cardinals podcast: Sights set for 2023 and beyond "I really believe that my time there, me being able to be inducted, is a reflection of my time in St. Louis, from a team success point of view," said Rol...

Boat runs aground at Lake of the Ozarks, strikes home

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:44:21 GMT

Boat runs aground at Lake of the Ozarks, strikes home MILLER COUNTY, Mo. - Eight people were injured late Saturday evening after the boat they were riding in ran aground at Lake of the Ozarks and struck a home.According to a report filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the boat crash happened at 11:55 p.m. at the 1.3 mile mark of the Osage Arm, in Miller County.A 2014 Nortech was traveling east in the waterway when the vessel, for reasons unknown, ran aground, hit a residence, and overturned. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW The boat's helmsman and seven passengers—three men and five women, ranging in ages from 21 to 51—were all ejected. The helmsman and five passengers were seriously injured, while two others suffered moderate injuries. Two of the victims were from Louisville, Missis...

Wainwright set to return Monday at Arizona

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:44:21 GMT

Wainwright set to return Monday at Arizona CHICAGO (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright is expected to come off the injured list to start Monday at Arizona.The 41-year-old Wainwright was placed on the 15-day IL on July 5 because of shoulder irritation. The three-time All-Star could throw around 65 pitches against the Diamondbacks.Wainwright went 11-12 with a 3.71 ERA in 32 starts last year, helping St. Louis win the NL Central. But he is 3-4 with a 7.66 ERA in his 18th major league season.After a series of cortisone injections and bullpen sessions, Wainwright said there’s a “dramatic difference” in his pitches, with more life, bite and late movement. Speaking before Sunday's game at the Chicago Cubs, manager Oliver Marmol said this is the best Wainwright has felt all season. 3-year-old boy from southern Illinois advances in 2023 USA Mullet Competition Wainwright was charged with seven runs, four earned, and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings in a 15-2 loss at Miami on July 4 in his last major league startBut he...

Rockies strike out 16 times, miss chance for rare sweep at Miami

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:44:21 GMT

Rockies strike out 16 times, miss chance for rare sweep at Miami Gone with the whiff.The Rockies’ chance for a rare sweep in South Florida was scuttled by a 16-strikeout Sunday at loanDepot Park.Let the record show that the Marlins won the game, 3-2, in 10 innings on second baseman Luis Arraez’s bases-loaded single in the 10th of right-hander Pierce Johnson.The Rockies employed a five-man infield against Arraez, but the .379 hitter ripped the ball to right field for his third hit of the game. Johnson’s big mistake was not giving up the single to Arraez, but rather, issuing a one-out walk to No. 9 hitter Nick Fortes to load the bases and set Arraez up for success.Despite all of the K’s, and despite going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine men on base, Colorado pushed the games to extra innings thanks to Randal Grichuk.Grichuk, who’s quietly put together a strong season, hit an explosive solo homer in the ninth off A.J. Puk, tying the game, 2-2. Grichuk, who won Saturday’s game with a singl...