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SmileDirectClub is shutting down: What does that mean for customers?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:02 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Just months after filing for bankruptcy, SmileDirectClub announced it was shutting down its global operations and halting its teeth-aligner treatments.That leaves existing SmileDirectClub customers with a lot of questions and few available answers. The company is offering no more customer care support and few details about possible refunds are available yet. Multiple dental organizations and orthodontists also caution patients about safety concerns arising from “direct-to-consumer” dentistry.Here's what you need to know.WHAT IS THE COMPANY AND WHY IS IT CLOSING SHOP?SmileDirectClub — which served over 2 million people since its 2014 founding — once promised to revolutionize the oral-care industry by selling clear dental aligners that were marketed as a faster and more affordable alternative to braces. It sold its aligners directly to consumers by mail and in major retailers.When SmileDirectClub's stock began trading on the stock market in 2019, the company was v...

Shed at southeast Austin elementary school catches fire; No injuries reported

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:02 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Fire Department responded to a fire at a building on a southeast Austin elementary school campus Friday morning. According to AFD, a shed in the courtyard of Rodriguez Elementary School caught fire and extended slightly into the school's interior. The school is located at 4400 Franklin Park Drive, off of Teri Road. The department said the fire was out by 6 a.m. and crews were working on smoke removal. An AFD crewmember on scene told KXAN the department is treating the fire as suspicious until there is reason to believe otherwise and investigators are coming to the scene. Austin Independent School District Police also responded to the scene. AFD said the scene will be turned over to AISD police once the fire is out. AFD responds to fire in shed at Rodriguez Elementary School in southeast Austin Dec. 29, 2023 (AFD photo) AFD responds to fire in shed at Rodriguez Elementary School in southeast Austin Dec. 29, 2023 (AFD photo) AFD responds to fire in shed at ...

KXAN's top 10 Instagram posts of 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:02 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — KXAN covers news in an in-depth and investigative manner, and while most of our updates are shared on our website, we also share things on social media. Instagram is a place for us to share small snippets of the stories we cover, and we also use the platform to take the opportunity to interact a little more with our viewers.To receive news updates on social media, follow KXAN on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.We've compiled our top 10 most interacted with Instagram posts of 2023. (Data was tracked from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 6, 2023).No. 10: PHOTOS: Wildfire burns dozens of acres near Ruby Ranch in BudaA wildfire in the Ruby Ranch subdivision in west Buda burned more than 50 acres in July. Video footage shows grass and brush burning, and plumes of smoke rising into the air. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KXAN News (@kxan_news) Wildfires are common in the summertime in Central Texas. Read about this fire here. No. 9: V...

$1 million in LCRA grants awarded to community projects across Texas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:02 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Almost $1 million in grants have been awarded to several community projects across the state in the latest round of a Lower Colorado River Authority grants program.The LCRA awarded $996,929 to 45 projects across its wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The funds are part of the agency's Community Development Partnership Program (CDPP), which to date has awarded grants totaling more than $51 million.Four projects were granted $50,000 each, including the Southeast Caldwell County Volunteer Fire Department for a building extension to house two fire trucks, protective gear and an office. Another $50,000 grant went to Friends of the Palacios Library for new shelving and interior upgrades.The LCRA said more than a third of the new grants go to first responders, giving money for things like replacing outdated protective equipment, adding new rescue tools and purchasing life-saving equipment."First responders need proper protective gear, updated rescue t...

Celebrate the new year (and beyond) with these Colorado bubbles 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:02 GMT

This New Year’s Eve, when you pop open a bottle of local bubbly, toast to 2023 memories and a new year full of hopes — but also say “cheers” to the notable sparkling wine scene that Colorado’s winemakers are cultivating.Rosé with Bubbles, from Centennial Cellars. (Provided by Centennial Cellars)From fizzy pét-nats to wines produced in Charmat tanks (akin to how Italian winemakers perfect their proseccos), plus party-ready cans that pop and fizz when you pull back the tabs, Colorado’s wine scene is, most definitely, sparkling.The number of Americans drinking sparkling wine has risen by 30 percent between 2019 and 2022, according to an analysis from Wine Intelligence, a division of International Wine and Spirits Research. The numbers show that people are reaching for bottles of bubbles more frequently and not just on special occasions, with about a quarter of respondents saying they drink sparkling wine at least a couple of times a week.The state’s winemakers are eag...

Lower gas prices predicted for 2024: Here's why

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:02 GMT

(WDAF) — Lower gas prices: That's the forecast for 2024, offering relief for drivers in the new year. GasBuddy is predicting U.S. drivers will spend, on average, $3.38 per gallon next year. That's 13 cents less than this year's national average. It's also a far cry from where we were two years ago when prices skyrocketed and drivers paid nearly $5 on average nationwide for gas. Rogue wave slams into Southern California beachgoers; 9 hospitalized But what's the reason behind the expected decrease? Experts say the United States is now a powerhouse in oil production, yielding more crude oil than any other country in the world. It gives the country a cushion should something happen — like a hurricane damaging refineries or OPEC cutting its supply — that disrupts oil production. "We continue to mend from things like the pandemic — which brought a lot of imbalances, a lot of very high inflation, which is now slowing down and in some cases going back," said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy's h...

Single family residence sells in Palo Alto for $3.1 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:02 GMT

729 East Charleston Road – Google Street ViewA house located in the 700 block of East Charleston Road in Palo Alto has new owners. The 1,974-square-foot property, built in 1975, was sold on Dec. 7, 2023. The $3,100,000 purchase price works out to $1,570 per square foot. The layout of this single-story home includes three bedrooms and two baths. On the exterior, the home features wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, there is a fireplace. Additionally, the house features a two-car garage.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:In August 2023, a 1,717-square-foot home on Bibbits Drive in Palo Alto sold for $3,000,000, a price per square foot of $1,747. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Charleston Court, Palo Alto, in June 2023, a 3,073-square-foot home was sold for $4,000,000, a price per square foot of $1,302. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.A 1,482-square-foot home on the 4000 block of Sutherland Drive in Palo Alto sold in November 2023, for $2,750,000, a ...

Elias: California’s groundwater needs to become a priority in Sacramento

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:02 GMT

California has had drought years and wet years, several “years of the woman” and the last few years may well have been called “years of housing increases,” at least in terms of making new laws. Fully 56 such laws passed in 2023.Related ArticlesLocal News | Elias: California’s increased housing units haven’t meant lower rents Local News | Elias: Newsom got what he needed from Fox debate with DeSantis Local News | Elias: California utility bills to rise for decades after PUC’s solar move The state has never had a “groundwater year,” though. Yet few resources are as important or as diminished as the unseen aquifers that sustain everything from apricots to avocados, almonds and asparagus, just to name a few crops.This is not to mention what the aquifers do for millions of city dwellers, who also get substantial parts of their water from underground basins. Drive almost any major highway in the agricultural San Joaquin Val...

Opinion: California’s struggle with homelessness needs congressional help

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:02 GMT

The latest Annual Homelessness Assessment Report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said that 653,100 people experienced homelessness on a single night in January, a 12% increase since last year. California counted 181,399 homeless people, the most of any state.These numbers are devastating but expected.Years of research, including efforts from UC San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, show homelessness rates are tied to the disconnect between income and housing costs for the lowest-income households. California has only 24 units of housing available and affordable for every 100 extremely low-income households.At the pandemic’s outset in 2020, fears that homelessness would increase dramatically due to economic disruptions led to the federal government releasing unprecedented levels of emergency funding. These included rental assistance, stimulus payments, unemployment assistance and enhanced tax credits for families. Combined with eviction mo...

Ex-student found competent to stand trial for stabbing deaths near UC Davis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:02 GMT

DAVIS — A former college student accused of stabbing two people to death and wounding a third in Northern California was found competent to stand trial, a prosecutor said Thursday.Carlos Reales Dominguez will return to court on Jan. 5 and criminal proceedings will be reinstated if there isn’t any challenge to his mental state, according to Yolo County assistant chief deputy district attorney Melinda Aiello, the Sacramento Bee reported.Dominguez had been a third-year student at the University of California, Davis majoring in biological sciences until April 25, when he was expelled for academic reasons.Stabbings near campus began shortly after. He is charged in the deaths of a 50-year-old homeless man and a 20-year-old UC Davis student. A homeless woman who was attacked in her tent survived.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Teen charged with involuntary manslaughter, not murder, in East Bay homicide Crime and Public Safety | A skull found near ...