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What makes fireworks red, white and every color in between?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:44 GMT

(NEXSTAR) -- With July 4, and summer in general, upon us, it’s likely that you’re taking in a fireworks show or two. But have you ever wondered what makes the fireworks glow red, blue and nearly every color in between?If you were paying attention during high school science class, you may already know. The fireworks we see in the sky are created by the explosion of multiple small pellets of black powder, known as stars, once the powder has been ignited. Those stars can be arranged so that the fireworks create different shapes in the sky. What is used to make those stars also impacts the color of the fireworks. They all have the main ingredient -- black powder -- and are then combined with a certain chemical or mineral. That chemical or mineral will then make the firework a different color after it reacts with the heat from the explosions. There are seven mineral elements commonly used in fireworks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  July’s full moon will be a ...

Here's how to avoid summer bug bites, according to experts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:44 GMT

Waco, Texas (KWKT) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a health advisory over cases of malaria.This is the first time in 20 years that the CDC has had to make an advisory over a local spread of malaria in the United States. The advisory was made after four cases were detected in Florida and another was detected in Texas.Malaria, caused by a parasite that spreads through bites from Anopheles mosquitoes, causes fever, chills, sweats, nausea and vomiting, and headaches. It is not spread person to person.Jeff Wooten, the owner of Cen-Tex Pest Control in Waco, Texas, said bugs nest in wet areas in the springtime to then move and populate in the summer.He said it's best to take care of your surroundings."Mosquitos kill more people than anything else on planet Earth," said Wooten. "Nearly every year, mosquitoes kill the entire population of the city of Austin. That's every man, woman and child killed yearly by mosquitoes."Wooten says bugs are attracted to an...

Ken Paxton will not testify at impeachment trial, defense attorney says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:44 GMT

AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) -- The lead attorney for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton said his client will not testify in his upcoming impeachment trial in the Texas Senate.Paxton’s defense lawyer, Tony Buzbee, made the announcement in a late Monday night statement on the eve of the July Fourth holiday. The Senate could still try to force Paxton to testify, but the statement makes clear Paxton would fight such efforts.“We will not bow to their evil, illegal, and unprecedented weaponization of state power in the Senate chamber,” Buzbee said of the House. A spokesperson for chamber did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the defense team's statement.The House voted to impeach Paxton in late May, accusing him of a yearslong series of crime and misconduct. Most of the 20 articles of impeachment center on allegations from former deputies that Paxton misused his office to help a wealthy campaign donor and Austin real-estate investor, Nate Paul.Paxton was immediately suspen...

'World's largest lettuce greenhouse' opens in Temple, Texas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:44 GMT

Temple, TX (KXAN) - Central Texas is gaining access to more crisp vegetables. Revol Greens opened their new facility this May and have begun shipping their product. The company claims their new greenhouse is the largest in the world."It's pretty amazing and it's longer than a football field wide, and it's quite a number of football fields the other way," said Revol Green CEO Michael Wainscott.The facility sits on 20 acres of land in Temple, Texas, just down the road from H-E-B's distribution center. It has an additional 40 acres available for future expansion. "Temple's centrally located so we can get to Dallas, even get to Houston, San Antonio and Austin (are) all right there."Growing lettuce with scienceWainscott said they used new technology and science to ensure they can grow year-round."The heat, you know, that was always the big question. I think it's probably 101 outside right now. And I would say in here, it's probably 82 degrees."Special material is used for the roof of the...

Get pumped up at Mr. and Ms. Muscle Beach competition in Venice

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:44 GMT

Tuesday is the Fourth of July, which means it's time again for the Mr. and Ms. Muscle Beach bodybuilding competition in Venice.The annual contest brings out dozens of bodybuilders to compete in a variety of categories, including figure, bikini, wellness, and men's and women's physique.Prejudging begins at 10 a.m., with the finals set for 1 p.m.To attend, visit Venice Beach at 1800 Ocean Front Walk.

Boyfriend arrested after victim was held against her will, pushed from moving vehicle in Bloomington, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:44 GMT

A man suspected of holding his girlfriend against her will and then throwing her from a moving car in the unincorporated area of Bloomington was arrested overnight, officials said Tuesday. The initial incident took place around 7 p.m. Saturday when the suspect, identified as 21-year-old William Escobar, allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and forced her to remain in his vehicle against her will, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Eventually, Escobar slowed the vehicle near the intersection of Slover Avenue and Linden Avenue and pushed the victim out while still in motion, the Sheriff's Department stated.Good Samaritans who witnessed the incident helped the victim and notified authorities. Arriving deputies determined the victim was involved in an ongoing disturbance that originated in Riverside County.She was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, the Sheriff's Department stated. Deputies obtained a warrant and located Escobar late Monday at his home...

If ‘Stewart’ was not a real customer, does it affect Supreme Court ruling on wedding website?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:44 GMT

A Christian graphic artist in Colorado who the Supreme Court said can refuse to make wedding websites for gay couples pointed during her lawsuit to a request from a man named “Stewart” and his husband-to-be. The twist? Stewart says it never happened — and that he has been married for 15 years to a woman.The revelation has raised questions about how Lorie Smith’s case was allowed to proceed all the way to the nation’s highest court with such an apparent misrepresentation and whether the state of Colorado, which lost the case, has any legal recourse.It has served as another distraction at the end of a highly polarizing term for a Supreme Court marked by ethical questions and contentious rulings along ideological lines that rejected affirmative action in higher education and President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts.Here’s a look at the legal questions surrounding the mysterious would-be customer, “Stewart:”What role did the claim play...

How a hitting lesson with Barry Bonds fueled Blake Sabol’s big night

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:44 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Blake Sabol had heard the advice before, but never from the man who is MLB’s all-time leader in home runs.When Barry Bonds pulled up a chair in the hitting cage before the San Francisco Giants 6-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Monday, Sabol’s ears perked up.A few hours later, the rookie catcher hit a pair of monster home runs in a five-RBI effort that nearly single-handedly led the Giants to a victory, if not for a meltdown by their All-Star closer, Camilo Doval.Let Sabol explain.“I got my first hitting lesson with Barry today,” Sabol said. “He was talking about me diving in towards the plate a bit, something that (the hitting coaches) brought to my attention. He had a batting practice thrower move to the side and had me stand up with my posture, which freed up my body.“From there he was like, ‘you’re so gifted with your hands, just throw your hands at the ball. Where the ball is, throw your hands. You don’t have to go get it with your body. Your body will be...

Philadelphia shootings: 5 killed in what police call random attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:44 GMT

By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA | Associated PressPHILADELPHIA (AP) — A heavily armed gunman in a bulletproof vest opened fire on the streets of Philadelphia on Monday night, seemingly at a random, killing five people and wounding two boys before surrendering, police said.The shootings took place over several city blocks in the southwestern neighborhood of Kingsessing. Responding officers chased the suspect as he continued to fire, and he was arrested in an alley after giving himself up, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference.“Thank God our officers were on the scene and responded as quickly as they did. I can’t even describe the level of bravery and courage that was shown, in addition to the restraint that was shown here,” Outlaw said.No connection was immediately known between the victims and the shooter, she said. He had a bulletproof vest, an “AR-type rifle,” multiple magazines, a handgun and a police scanner.Officers were flagged down at about 8:30 p.m., and multip...

French club Monaco hires Adi Hütter as its new coach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:44 GMT

MONACO (AP) — French club Monaco hired Adi Hütter as its new coach on a two-year contract on Tuesday.Hütter replaces Belgian coach Philippe Clement, who was fired last month after the club finished a disappointing sixth in the French league.The 53-year-old Hütter is a former midfielder with the Austrian national team and previously coached Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German Bundesliga.Prior to that he guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian league and cup double before leading Young Boys Bern to the Swiss league title in 2018.“Over the last few years, Adi has proved himself in a number of different league,” Monaco’s sporting director Thiago Scuro said. “This wealth of experience combined with his leadership qualities and lively, forward-looking style, is exactly what we are looking for.”___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource