Home

Fast-paced rugby sevens action hits Q2 Stadium pitch Saturday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:15:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Premier Rugby Sevens will make its season debut at Q2 Stadium on Saturday and the home team will be wearing a familiar shade of orange.The league kicks off the 2023 season Saturday, and the hometown Texas Team (yes, that's their name) plays host to the league's three other Eastern Conference squads in a fast-paced variation of the sport.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/newslettersThe New York Locals, Pittsburgh Steeltoes and Southern Headliners will join Texas Team for eight men's and women's rugby sevens matches on Austin FC's pitch. As the name suggests, rugby sevens is played with seven players per side as opposed to traditional rugby union which has 15 players per side. For rugby sevens, The field is the same size as a union field. That means running lanes can be wide open for players to make long runs or nifty layoffs to break a teammate free for a try.With te...

State golf: New Life Academy’s Cole Witherow defends Class A boys individual title

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:15:30 GMT

Cole Witherow defended his state title in near-perfect fashion. The New Life Academy senior won the Class A individual crown with a two-day score of 7-under-par 139, two shots better than Fillmore Central’s Jake Fishbaugher.He did so with clean golf. Entering the final round with a two-stroke lead, Witherow shot a bogey-free 69 Wednesday — one of the first bogey-free rounds of his young career.“It was pretty surprising, not going to lie,” he said.But not so much in the sense that Witherow has evolved over the past year in terms of his tactical approach. He estimated he hit only two drivers Wednesday at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker. He primarily hit 4-irons off the tee, taking advantage of the bouncy fairways and consistently putting himself in good positions to attack. Witherow said he hit 16 greens in regulation Wednesday and hit 15 fairways in each of his two rounds.“I think the big thing for me as a person and being at this course is placing the ball at the right angles, fair...

Smoke pushes Minnesota Aurora game indoors, where they beat Green Bay 5-0 to stay unbeaten

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:15:30 GMT

The poor air quality in the Twin Cities caused by smoke drifting south from Canadian wildfires cost the Minnesota Aurora a game in front of their fans at TCO Stadium in Eagan but didn’t keep them from extending their undefeated start to the season.Aurora’s game against the Green Bay Glory was moved to the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center in Stillwater and played without spectators, and Minnesota won 5-0 to improve to 7-0 this season.Cat Rapp scored two goals, and Hannah Adler, Kylie Olsen and Sophie French scored goals for Minnesota.“We faced a lot of things today, a little adversity, but we were able to adapt and score one of our fastest goals of the season to get off to a really good start for the rest of the game,” said Aurora coach Nicole Lukic said. “Our level stayed consistent for the whole game and I was really happy with that.”Adler scored the first goal 75 seconds into the game after midfielder Morgan Stone played the ball over the top to Makenzie Langdok, who...

Beware! AI voice scam calls on the rise

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:15:30 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Area police are now on alert for thieves using "AI,” or artificial intelligence. A man in Arnold said that thieves mimicked his son's voice and took $10,000 from his grandfather.Issues have progressed so far and so quickly that Congress is now taking action.The voice on the phone said there had been a crash in downtown St. Louis around 11:00 a.m. Wednesday. It sounded like Larry Jenkerson’s son, Jeremy, 23. The voice told Jeremy’s grandfather that he was injured. He had been driving drunk and needed the $10,000 for bail.“On Market Street, he ran a red light and T-boned another vehicle,” Jenkerson said. “The person that was acting as Jeremy said, 'I don’t want my dad to know because it’s his car and his insurance. I don't want him to know. I’ve got to tell him to his face.'” Man died holding apartment door closed as sister fled shooter, police say There was no such crash, but the phone call was made to Jeremy’s grandfather about 120 miles away in Jackson, Missouri, near...

Ball Park Village restaurant grand opening offers free tacos  

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:15:30 GMT

ST. LOUIS - If St. Louis Cardinals fans are looking for something to celebrate, the staff of Condado Tacos at Ballpark Village believes they can help. The restaurant is offering a giveaway on Thursday when it opens its doors to the public at 11 a.m.“The first 100 people through the door will get a free taco every week for a year,” said Lupe Hernandez, the restaurant’s general manager.The grand opening will also offer a free taco with a purchase and $5 signature margaritas.“Tacos and tequila bring everybody joy,” Hernandez said. “I haven’t meant somebody yet that doesn’t appreciate that.”The opening will be the restaurant’s 45th location and the first west of the Mississippi River. Local artists help create some of the colorful décor visitors will encounter. Hernandez promised visitors would experience great music, a great bar, and a vast selection of tequila.To find out more information, click here.

Leaky pipes, broken pump at St. Louis water plant

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:15:30 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Top water officials in St. Louis said the city is in desperate need of infrastructure upgrades and repairs.The City of St. Louis granted FOX 2 team exclusive access to the St. Louis Water Treatment Plant on Wednesday."What you're hearing is water leaking from around the valves and piping in the plant here," said Kurt Skouby, director of public utilities for the City of St. Louis. "There's always going to be some leakage, but not this much."Leaky pipe at St. Louis Water Treatment PlantSkouby has spent his entire career at the city's water department, working his way up to director more than a decade ago."Our average output is around 110–120 million gallons a day, so it's getting close to a 1/3 of the population of the City of St. Louis," he said.Skouby said the city's water department needs additional funding to keep up with inflation, repairs, and other infrastructure needs.The city is down two pumps now; one of the machines is responsible for pushing 36 million gallons ...

Rockies fall apart in seventh inning of 6-3 loss to Boston Red Sox

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:15:30 GMT

The Colorado Rockies’ chance to sweep the Boston Red Sox fell apart instantly on Wednesday night.The Rockies held a slim 2-1 lead when the Red Sox scored five runs in the seventh inning of a 6-3 loss after a two-hour rain delay at Fenway Park.The fireworks began when Rockies starter Austin Gomber allowed back-to-back singles, leading to a pitching change. With reliever Brent Suter on the mound, Boston tallied three runs off shortstop Pablo Reyes’ sacrifice fly and left fielder Rob Refsnyder’s two-run triple.Suter was out, and Peter Lambert was in, but Boston’s scoring surge continued. Red Sox third baseman Justin Turner singled in a run before right fielder Alex Verdugo’s RBI double gave Boston a four-run lead.For the most part, the Rockies’ third game of the series was a pitching duel. Boston starter Garrett Whitlock shut down Colorado for five innings, allowing two runs on six hits and seven strikeouts. Whitlock kept the Rockies hitless for three straight innings after giving up a...

Authorities search for missing Los Angeles County teen

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:15:30 GMT

Authorities are searching for a critically missing teenager who disappeared in Lancaster on Monday.The missing girl, Sabrina “Bri” Nicole Pimenta, 17, was last seen on the 500 block of W. Oldfield Street around 9 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.Pimenta is described as a Hispanic female standing 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 135 pounds. She has brown eyes, brown hair and a tattoo saying "Angel" on her left forearm.She was last seen wearing a black and gray sweatshirt, black pants, and black and white tennis shoes.Pimenta is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression, authorities said. Her family hasn't heard from her since Monday and is concerned for her well-being.Sabrina “Bri” Nicole Pimenta, 17, in a photo from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.A “critically missing person” is defined as:-A person in critical need of medical attention-The victim of a crime or foul play-A person who has no pattern of running away or disapp...

Suspect charged with homicide after man found dead from fentanyl poisoning in Riverside County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:15:30 GMT

A 37-year-old man from Palm Desert was arrested on charges of second-degree homicide after allegedly providing fentanyl to a man who died as a result of the powerful narcotic, authorities announced on Wednesday.  In Sept. 2022, deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department responded to the 46900 block of State Highway 74 in Palm Desert after receiving reports of a deceased 30-year-old man. At the scene, authorities found the man, who they believed died as a result of fentanyl poisoning, according to a news release from RCSD.  Investigators with the sheriff’s department’s Overdose Death Investigations and Narcotics team took over the investigation.  After several months, investigators were able to identify Gregory Gauto as the suspect who provided the victim with the fentanyl.  The 37-year-old was arrested in Palm Desert, charged with homicide and booked at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.  Gregory Gauto, 37, of Palm Desert, faces charges of se...

Oakland A’s: Returning to Coliseum, drummers react to Nevada news; where’s Fisher?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:15:30 GMT

OAKLAND – More than 20,000 of the 27,759 fans that attended a grassroots-organized ‘reverse boycott’ on Tuesday did not return for the ensuing game of the Oakland A’s home series against the Tampa Bay Rays.But that once-familiar drum beat emanating from the Oakland Coliseum’s right field bleachers – one that’s wholly unique to Major League Baseball — was back.A handful of drummers, part of the Oakland 68s fan group that has provided the backbeat to A’s home games for years, were eager to cheer on an Oakland team that was attempting to extend its season-long winning streak to eight games.Then came the buzzkill. About an hour before Wednesday’s game began, the Nevada state assembly voted to pass a bill that would funnel up to $380 million in public money toward the construction of a new ballpark next to the Strip in Las Vegas.The bill now goes to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s desk for his signature.Some of the 7,055 in attendance Wednesday started to boo after the A’s released...