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Retail theft is the worst in these 10 US cities, study finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:40 GMT

(KTXL) — Retail crime has been on the rise in the U.S., forcing some major retailers to even close locations in response. A new report shows some U.S. cities have been especially hard-hit by organized retail crime.The National Retail Federation (NRF) — the world's largest retail trade association, according to its website — recently released its 2023 Retail Security Survey. The report contains insights from 177 retail brands, which accounted for $1.6 trillion of annual retail sales in 2022 and represent more than 97,000 retail locations across the U.S. Overall, retailers that participated in the survey reported that inventory loss — called shrink — clocked in at an average rate of 1.6 % last year, representing $112.1 billion in losses. That’s up from 1.4% the previous year. The greatest portion of shrink — 65% — came from external theft, including products taken during organized shoplifting incidents. The 50 ‘rattiest cities’ in the US, as ranked by Orkin For the purposes of the 2...

Domino's offering free pizza to customers with student loans. Here's how to get one

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:40 GMT

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) -- Many borrowers have started to repay student loans after a significant pandemic pause. Around 40% of adults are having a hard time paying them, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Domino's Pizza is offering some relief by giving away $1 million worth of free pizzas to those still managing student loan payments.The Domino's Emergency Pizzas for Student Loans program is an extension of the chain's existing Emergency Pizzas initiative. This offer is designed to help people who are currently handling student loans. Beginning on Oct. 25, Domino's will provide a limited number of free Emergency Pizza for Student Loans codes every day until the $1 million worth of free pizza codes have been claimed. Drake giving free Dave’s Hot Chicken for his Oct. 24 birthday Kate Trumbull, Domino's senior vice president and chief brand officer, shared, "Student loan payments have resumed for millions of Americans, and we wanted to help in our own way by using the power of pizza to ...

Suburban man fatally shot by police on Wisconsin school roof failed to enter the building, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:40 GMT

An army veteran from the northwest suburbs is dead after climbing on top of a school building in Wisconsin and allegedly shooting at responding officers.Kevin Foy lived in Lake Villa. His mother told reporters her son suffered PTSD after serving in Afghanistan.Police have not confirmed the man's name but previously said a man was acting erratically at a car repair shop and in the parking lot of a suburban Milwaukee school and unsuccessfully tried to enter the building before climbing on its roof and exchanging gunfire with officers, authorities said Tuesday.Dozens of students were in the building during the exchange of gunfire but none were hurt, officials said.The incident began around 6:30 p.m. Monday when officers with the Germantown Police Department responded to a call of a man acting “erratically” in Kennedy Middle School's parking lot and trying to enter the locked school, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said. When officers arrived the man climbed onto the school’s roof a...

Safety campaign launched as Texas ranks No. 1 in nation for worst drivers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Following a recent report by Forbes where Texas was ranked as the top state in the nation for “worst drivers,” the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) and AAA Texas launched a statewide “Survive the Drive” auto safety campaign.“They say everything is bigger in Texas, which unfortunately also includes the rate of auto collisions, distracted and dangerous driving, and fatal car accidents compared to other states nationwide,” campaign organizers said.The Forbes report centered around the analysis of six metrics that show dangerous driving behavior. The metric included: drunk driving, distracted driving, drowsy driving, wrong-way driving, failure to obey traffic signs and signals, and drivers who looked at a phone. Texas vs. California: Which drivers are worse? “The statistics for dangerous and distracted driving in Texas are staggering and have only increased in severity since Texans spend more time on the roads post-COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rich Johnson, director of com...

New report: Texas could be losing billions of dollars each year, with declining childcare system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN)— Texas could be losing billions of dollars as a state, because of a growing childcare issue.A new report from Ready Nation Texas, a bipartisan nonprofit, shows things could be getting worse. And their data shows this will impact more than just families with small kids.Ready Nation said Texas' child care workforce is now 12% smaller than it was before the pandemic. Texans to vote on child-care property tax exemption "Many providers had to close their doors permanently, and too many of those that did reopen did so at reduced capacity," Katie Ferrier, the vice president of Education and Workforce Development for the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce said. Access, affordability and quality are factors playing a role in what ready Texas calls a childcare crisis. And it found insufficient childcare for kids under age three specifically, can be a major loss for the economy. Life with three young kids is nothing short of an adventure for Kari Mars.However, behind the laughs a...

Flash flood risk tonight into Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Isolated to widely scattered downpours continue into the early evening across most areas, while we watch an area of widespread rain arriving in the Hill Country.That widespread rain will slowly move eastward bringing a level 3 out of 4 flash flooding risk to most of the Hill Country overnight and into early Thursday. If you're driving in the Hill Country tonight, be extra careful and "turn around, don't drown" if you encounter a flooded road. While 1-3 inches of rain will be widespread west of I-35 tonight, localized 4-6" rainfall amounts could cause problems.Slight to Moderate flood threat for the Hill Country The rain will continue its eastward and approach I-35 during the Thursday morning commute before moving into our eastern counties by late morning. Live, updated rain totals The flash flooding risk is a bit lower closer to I-35 as the storm movement will pick up speed and not stick over any particular area too long. Still, a 2 out of 4 flash flooding risk is...

Forensic Science Dept. addresses concerns from District Attorney's Office

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In July, the Travis County District Attorney's Office sent a letter to the Forensic Science Department expressing concerns of "potential significant violations," primarily centered around material the forensic science department has “previously improperly withheld.”On Wednesday, KXAN received the Forensic Science Department's response through an open records request. The response addressed specific examples in which the DA's office said the Forensic Science Department did not disclose information about certain concerns in a timely manner. Some of the items of concern the DA's office expressed in its original letter include:An email from a supervisor detailing lack of confidence in an analyst to perform their job dutiesCriminal conduct allegations by staff membersWithholding errors discovered by staff membersLack of supervision, which resulted in evidence not entering a chain of custody for two yearsAccording to the Forensic Science Department, the agency did disclos...

CDC: Health care workers facing mental health crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new report from the CDC suggests that burnout and experiences of workplace harassment have been increasing for U.S. healthcare workers in recent years, leading to a mental health crisis. Researchers surveyed healthcare workers in 2018 and 2022. They found that in four years, twice as many health workers reported workplace harassment, feelings of burnout increased by 32%, more healthcare workers endorsed worse mental health conditions and nearly half of the survey respondents were looking for new work, according to the study.The researchers pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic already exacerbated an already burnt-out healthcare workforce. “We depend on our nation’s health workers, and they must be supported. Employers can act now by modifying working conditions associated with burnout and poor mental health outcomes in health settings. And, CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will be launching a national campaign—the Impact Wel...

BYU bringing charitable tailgate to Austin during UT game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In its first season in the Big 12 Conference, Brigham Young University's Cougars are bringing a new kind of tailgating to Longhorns territory.Members of BYU Alumni have organized "Cougs Care" pregame tailgates at away games, coordinating with local nonprofit organizations and community leaders to fundraise and collect food, books, toys and other essential goods. This Saturday, Central Texas BYU alums will host a holiday gift drive in benefit of the Travis County Sheriff's Brown Santa initiative. It'll be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 2111 Parker Lane in Austin.Debbie Talbot, BYU's Austin alumni chair, told KXAN the university has more than 2,000 alumni living in the Central Texas area, along with 174 Central Texas natives attending BYU. She said the tailgates are a means of breathing life into BYU's motto: "Enter to learn, go forth to serve.""Any time we can be together, we like to try and do somet...

Vision Zero report finds drug, alcohol use undercounted in Austin traffic fatality victims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An October Vision Zero report found state crash reports undercounted the prevalence in drug and alcohol use in Austin traffic fatality victims compared to toxicology analyses from the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office.The research analyzed findings from TCME and compared it to analysis collected by the Texas Department of Transportation's crash records information system database, with those typically referred to as CR-3 forms. While Vision Zero's analysis doesn't mean the presence of drugs or alcohol was "a causal factor in all of these crashes," program officials stressed the need to consider more than just crash reports when looking for trends in fatal traffic crashes.Between Jan. 1, 2018 and Dec. 31, 2022, Vision Zero found there were 448 fatal crash victims within Austin's jurisdiction in Travis County. When broken down, that includes 12 cyclist fatalities, 56 passenger fatalities, 38 motorcyclist fatalities, 175 pedestrian fatalities, 161 driver fataliti...