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What to do now ahead of student loan pause ending

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:10 GMT

(The Hill) - After three years, the student loan payment pause is officially ending for 40 million borrowers.The cycle of extensions for the payment pause, which began under then-President Trump during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, finally met its end under the bipartisan debt ceiling agreement negotiated by President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Biden signed the measure on Saturday. The pause will now end 60 days after June 30, giving borrowers nearly three months to prepare. Here is what borrowers should begin to do:Confirm your student loan servicer and the amount owedIt has been a long time since some users checked on their student loan accounts, while many graduated during the pandemic and are logging in for the first time. Borrowers can log in to the Federal Student Aid website to check on which servicer holds their loans. Even if users were paying loans before the pause, it is important to check because some servicers dropped their federal c...

Cows removed, pallets of Bud Ice beer spilled in Missouri bridge crash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:10 GMT

ROCHEPORT, Mo. (WDAF) -- Beer and cattle contributed to the frustration as crews spent hours trying to clear a crash Tuesday on the Missouri River Bridge west of Columbia, Missouri.The crash, involving a loaded cattle trailer, a pickup, and at least four other vehicles, forced emergency crews to close the westbound lanes of Interstate 70. Eastbound traffic was down to one lane as emergency responders helped clear the crash.The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the crash happened before 11 a.m. Tuesday, and took nearly five hours to clear. Florida couple kept 5-year-old in cage, forced another to drink boiling water: deputies In addition to untangling and removing the wrecked vehicles, crews had to unload cattle from the hauler and multiple pallets of Bud Ice beer from a trailer. Video shared by the Missouri State Highway Patrol showed machinery dumping the beer cans into a dumpster as some of the beer spilled onto the bridge deck.Beer and cattle contributed to the frustration as ...

Ascension Seton: Social security numbers, credit cards impacted by security breach

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:10 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for June 6, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Social security numbers, credit card information and more were impacted by a March data breach involving Ascension Seton's legacy websites, according to a news release from Ascension Texas.On March 2, the agency was alerted to a security event involving Ascension Seton's legacy websites, Seton.net and DellChildrens.net, which is managed by the third-party vendor Vertex, the release said.Ascension said it worked closely with Vertex to investigate, as well as understand what information was affected, the release said. Vertex notified law enforcement, the release said.The agency said demographic information, such as name, address, email address, phone number, insurance information, social security number (or tax identification number), as well as other clinical information would have been affected if the information was provided to the agency by people using the legacy websites, Seton...

Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill addressing catalytic converter thefts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law Tuesday afternoon that creates new criminal offenses surrounding the theft of catalytic converters. State Senator Carol Alvarado, D- Houston, filed Senate Bill 224 – known as the Deputy Darren Almendarez Act –  which was designed to address the spike in catalytic converter thefts across the state. Thefts of this kind have increased by 1,200% from 2019 to 2021, per the National Insurance Crime Bureau. MORE: Have you been targeted? Catalytic converter thefts on the rise nationwide "These catalytic converter thefts have increased substantially in the past few years," Abbott said. "Catalytic converter thefts have become an organized and often violent crime. So what I'm going to sign today is going to increase criminal penalties for offenses involving catalytic converter thefts as well as to create a new criminal offense for unlawful possession."The law honors Harris County Deputy Sheriff Darren Almendarez, who was sho...

Ozone Action Day declared Wednesday for hot, stagnant weather

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Hot, stagnant conditions are expected to lead to higher than normal pollution levels on Wednesday. Consider driving less or carpooling to limit your pollution footprint.Ozone Action Day recommendationsEven as heat and humidity build through the rest of the week, isolated late-day showers and thunderstorms will remain possible as we sit on the eastern periphery of a high pressure system. While most areas remain dry each day, some others may see up to 0.5"-1" of rain.Isolated showers and storms continue this weekend, but shut off next week as temperatures rise to the first triple-digit heat days of the year. 100-degree heat is expected to arrive in Austin this summer on Tuesday next week -- about three weeks ahead of average.Forecast high temperatures in AustinVery muggy air will add to the surging heat, producing heat index values each afternoon this weekend and beyond above 100 degrees.The week two outlook from the Climate Prediction Center shows this area settling ...

Memorial honors dogs lost in Georgetown pet facility fire

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Georgetown unveiled enhancements to its Bark Park off-leash dog park Tuesday -- including a new memorial dedicated to the pets killed in a September 2021 boarding facility fire.Georgetown's Bark Park is the city's first off-leash facility, featuring dog drinking fountains, benches and an agility course. The six-acre park includes separate areas for both small and large dogs to roam, per the city's website.A memorial at Georgetown's Bark Park honors the dogs lost in the 2021 Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. (KXAN Photo/Christian Marcelli) A memorial at Georgetown's Bark Park honors the dogs lost in the 2021 Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. (KXAN Photo/Christian Marcelli) A memorial at Georgetown's Bark Park honors the dogs lost in the 2021 Ponderosa Pet Resort fire. (KXAN Photo/Christian Marcelli) The city allocated $25,000 to park enhancements, including agility equipment in the small-dog park, replaced equipment in the large-dog park and new waste cans. A seating ar...

Texas, Stanford super regional to begin Saturday from Sunken Diamond

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In order to get to Omaha, the Texas Longhorns will have to go through the Bay Area.No. 8 Stanford topped Texas A&M late Monday night 7-1 to clinch its regional tournament at Sunken Diamond in Palo Alto, California, and now the Cardinal will host another team from the Lone Star State with a trip to the Men's College World Series on the line. Huge 3rd inning lifts Texas Longhorns to regional title, spot in super regionals The first game of the super regional will be at 5 p.m. CT Saturday and it will air on ESPN2. Game 2 is Sunday and the if-necessary Game 3 is set for Monday with times to be announced later.It's the 13th super regional the Longhorns have qualified for since the NCAA tournament went to the format in 1999.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersIt's the second year in a row the Cardinal had to battle through the regional tournament loser's br...

Explore West St. Paul Days to be held this week

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:10 GMT

The second year of Explore West St. Paul Days will take place Thursday through Saturday — with a bike ride scheduled for Sunday. This year a second concert has been added for Friday night. Fireworks also will be held on Friday.Garage sales will be happening throughout the weekend and a map of locations can be found on their website at https://www.explorewsp.com/citywide-garage-sale-mapThursdayThe city open house from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the South Metro Fire Station. The event features booths for more than 30 local nonprofits, businesses and schools; a photo booth; police and fire vehicles and a dunk tank. Free food, root beer floats and live music from Janelle Burrell Trio will be available.FridayA K-9 training demonstration will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the West St. Paul Sports Complex featuring the police department’s two K-9’s Cecil and Bear. Food trucks, including California Dip & Eat, O’Cheeze and The Sizzling Wagon, also will be available from that time through 9:30 p.m...

Alt-metal bands Tool and Queens of the Stone Age book fall concerts in the metro

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:10 GMT

Fans of alt-metal are in luck as two of the genre’s biggest bands have booked fall concerts in the Twin Cities.Tool will play a Halloween show at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center and Queens of the Stone Age are booked at the Armory in downtown Minneapolis on Sept. 17.Both shows go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster. Neither the promoter nor the venue announced prices, although the QOTSA Ticketmaster page shows $127.50 and $142.50 platinum tickets currently available for presale. Citi cardholders also have access to a QOTSA presale through 10 p.m. Thursday.ToolTool emerged from Los Angeles in the early ’90s with a dark, brooding and brutal sound as well as an unusually sophisticated visual presentation for the band’s videos and album art. Heavy touring, including Lollapalooza stints in 1992 and 1993, helped the band’s 1993 debut album “Undertow” go gold in five months.That fame allowed Tool to forge their own path in the music industry. TheyR...

St. Croix Lutheran grad Garett Maag living out childhood dream with Vikings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:10 GMT

You could argue that receiver Garett Maag should thank the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans for passing on him. If any of those teams offered him a contract, Maag wouldn’t be living out his childhood of playing for the Vikings.“It’s been a roller coaster,” Maag said Tuesday at TCO Performance Center in Eagan after wrapping up organized team activities. “It worked out in the end.”No kidding. As a kid growing up in the East Metro, like so many Minnesotans across the state, Maag idolized longtime Vikings star Adam Thielen. He wanted to be just like him when he got older, and while Maag missed out on playing with Thielen, he’s trying to follow in his footsteps.After turning some heads at St. Croix Lutheran in high school, Maag really started to make a name for himself at North Dakota in college. He emerged as a matchup nightmare thanks to his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame, finishing his college career with 162 receptions for ...