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Where do butterflies come from? Scientists discover origin of species

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:10 GMT

Gainesville, FL (KXAN) - Did you ever wonder where butterflies came from? A recently published research paper has revealed a surprising origin: North and Central America.The paper, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, examined DNA from nearly 2,300 species of butterfly. The team used the data to develop a family tree and track down where the species came from.Turns out, butterflies evolved from nocturnal moths around 101.4 million years ago. According to the National Science Foundation, after the death of the dinosaurs, bats grew in numbers. With moths facing a new threat, they began to take flight during the day, feeding on nectar from flowers.Researchers have developed a family tree for butterflies, tracing the origins to North and Central America. (Credit: Florida Museum, Hillis, Zwickl, and Gutell)The researchers used fossil records to connect the family tree they developed to North and Central America. 11 fossils that had been traced to the geological age were used...

TCSO deputies end search for carjacking suspects near COTA

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Travis County Sheriff's Office told KXAN Monday night deputies searched an area near Circuit of the Americas for carjacking suspects but halted the search when they could not find the suspects. According to TCSO, deputies went to a report of a carjacking at gunpoint in the parking lot of an apartment complex on William Cannon Drive at 8:30 p.m.TCSO said no one was hurt in the carjacking.Deputies were able to track down the vehicle to the area near Circuit of the Americas. Deputies approached the vehicle and the suspects ran off, according to TCSO. The sheriff's office declined to say how many suspects there were. TCSO said the case will be handed off to a detective for further investigation.

Child shot in far south Austin Monday night

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Police said a juvenile was shot and wounded in far South Austin Monday night. Police said officers were called to the Bridge at Asher Apartments on the Interstate 35 Frontage Road near Onion Creek around 10:30 p.m. for a shooting. The juvenile was in stable condition, according to police. APD did not have information on who shot the child but said no one has been arrested.

Big bucks spent on East St. Louis sidewalk to nowhere

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:10 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - East St. Louis locals are frustrated about a $2.5 million street improvement project in the city, including a sidewalk to nowhere.Locals were livid, especially when their street was left a mess by the contractor, who started and then left the road and the sidewalk unfinished.However, blocks away on Belmont, there were new sidewalks that included disabled ramps built by the same contractor. The problem is that not many walk on the sidewalk because there are not a lot of people living in the neighborhood. In many cases, the sidewalks are next to vacant lots and abandoned houses.One resident Travis Summerville, who lives on North 24th Street, said he was left high and dry."It’s not enough residents on the street," Summerville explained., "It’s like 30 or 40 houses on this street, it’s only five on that one, and they're putting up sidewalks and they finishing the street up and everything else. I’m asking the mayor, and the mayor not giving us no answers. He ain’t ...

I-55 NB lanes reopened after 2-vehicle crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:10 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Emergency crew were at the scene of a crash that closed all lanes on Interstate-55 northbound. Our Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX helicopter was flying over the area at I-55 northbound and Weber, where a crash involving a semi and pickup truck occurred. The vehicles have since been removed, and lanes are still blocked temporarily due to an oil spill that was a result of the crash. Open house on Metro’s ‘Secure Platform Plan’ today The cause of the crash has not net been revealed and so far, no injuries have been reported. FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

Avalanche 2023 NHL draft primer: Will the Avs use first-round pick or trade it?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:10 GMT

The year of Connor Bedard is finally about to arrive at its anticlimactic ending, with the generational prospect joining the Avalanche’s division rival Chicago Blackhawks as the consensus No. 1 overall draft pick.What follows — well, after apparent consensus No. 2 pick Adam Fantilli — is a ticking timer of a first round counting down toward the Avs and a decision.Use No. 27 to bolster a weak prospect pool, or deploy it as part of a trade package for a ready-now NHL forward?First-round pick trades on the draft floor aren’t nearly as common in the NHL as they are in the NBA, but Colorado’s front office shouldn’t be underestimated. When asked before the midseason trade deadline whether he was willing to trade the pick or dead-set on keeping it, general manager Chris MacFarland said he was open to parting with it for the right deal.The Avalanche have approached the offseason the same way, keeping their options open in the weeks leading up to the NHL draft Wednesd...

Sullivan Scrap Kitchen reduces food waste with delicious, inventive menu

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:10 GMT

Editor’s note: This is part of our series, Hidden Gems, in which we take a look at those restaurants you should know about but may not. They are either tucked away in strip malls or otherwise off the beaten path. Try them out, and if you like what you eat, pass the word.  It’s tough having the word “scrap” in your restaurant’s name. It implies afterthoughts, discards, castoffs. But the food coming out of Sullivan Scrap Kitchen is no afterthought. It’s among the more interesting and delicious in town.DENVER, COLORADO – JUNE 22: Terence Rogers, owner and executive chef and his wife Holly Adinoff, owner and general manager of Sullivan Scrap Kitchen stand near photos of family and friend that hangs in their restaurant on June 22, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)Yes, chef Terence Rogers — who owns the restaurant with his wife, Holly Adinoff — uses leftover components of various ingredients at both Sullivan Scrap Kitchen and their ca...

Queer cultural district seeks to celebrate Denver’s LGBTQ history

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:10 GMT

From this year’s 50th anniversary of the landmark 1973 city council revolt, which became known as Denver’s own Stonewall moment, to 2018’s Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case, Colorado has long served as a hotspot for queer history.Soon, Denverites may have the chance to learn about this history in “Lavender Hill,” which organizers hope will be Colorado’s first queer cultural district.Denver-based designer Zach Kotel and the Colfax Business Improvement District have teamed to create Lavender Hill in collaboration with LGBTQ+ leaders, such as Rex Fuller, the CEO of the Center on Colfax, and Tara Jae, founder of Black Pride Colorado. They are also working with an advisory board that includes leaders and business owners in the area. The district would encompass parts of Capitol Hill, City Park, City Park West, Cheesman Park, Baker and Five Points, based on the locations of queer historical sites from the 1930s to today.The Mile High City’s LGBTQ+ s...

Marrero: Students who make mistakes need a second chance not an alternative school

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:10 GMT

Students have the right to know they are safe in our schools — safe to explore, create and learn together. They have the right to be safe from violence in all its forms. This is the challenge we face as a school community in Denver Public Schools and the impetus for the creation of our comprehensive Operational Safety Plan.Yet, this is not an us versus them situation. It is everyone, all of us, against the scourge of gun violence.While the potential return of School Resource Officers has garnered the most attention during the past few months, many community members have also voiced their concerns regarding our Discipline Matrix. Specifically our commitment to providing all students, regardless of their past disciplinary infractions, with an appropriate education.These community members have called for students who have had significant disciplinary issues to be placed in alternative or virtual schools. While I understand their concerns, it is my belief that to do this not only ...

Denver liquor shops — big and small — blame wine in grocery stores for falling sales

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:10 GMT

The vote by a slim majority of Coloradans to allow wine to be sold in grocery stores has led to a drop in sales at mom-and-pop liquor shops in the three months since the new law took effect, according to store owners and the state’s independent liquor store association.“We’re screwed,” said Lisa Von Feldt, owner of The Wine Seller and Spirits Too at 600 E. Sixth Ave. in Denver. “I hate to say it’s the end of an era, but I’m afraid it could be for a lot of people.”Von Feldt’s corner shop was handed down to her by her father, who bought it from her uncle. “All of the liquor stores in Denver started out that way,” she said.Today, the Colorado market is no longer solely made up of family-owned liquor stores. Not only have national chains and big-box liquor stores entered the mix, but privileges once reserved for these establishments — the sale of wine and full-strength beer — are now shared with grocery and co...