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 Houston brain eating microbe, Deadly microbe water warning lifted for all but 1 Texas city. A brain-eating amoeba has been discovered in the water supply of the Houston,  Texas  area, leading to a "Do Not Use Water Advisory" on tap water in 11 nearby cities for about 12 hours. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued this advisory late on Friday night, based on tests of the water a few hours earlier. The widespread advisory has now been dropped for all the affected cities except for Lake Jackson. "At 10 p.m. Friday the Brazosport Water Authority was informed of potential Naegleria Fowleri in the water supply," the TCEQ announced on Friday night. "As a result, the Brazosport Water Authority is issuing a Do Not Use advisory for all water in the following cities: Lake Jackson, Freeport, Angleton, Brazoria, Richwood, Oyster Creek, Clute, Rosenburg, Dow Chemical, TDCJ Clemens and TDCJ Wayne Scott. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality at th

 Alps get early snowfall, clear roads that were blocked by snow and ice. Parts of Austria and Switzerland were surprised by unseasonably early snowfall overnight a month before it is expected. The Swiss meteorological agency said earlier today that the town of Montana, in the southern canton of Valais, experienced almost 10 inches (25 centimetres) of snowfall — a new record for this time of year. The change came after a sharp drop in temperatures and heavy precipitation.  Authorities were out in force across mountainous regions in the two Alpine nations to clear roads that had become blocked by snow and ice. In parts of Austria, snowfall was recorded as low as 1,805 feet (550 meters) above sea level.     Late October usually heralds the very first big snowfalls and the early signs of winter in the Alps when average temperatures in the valley drop to below 50F (10C).

 White Supremacist killed California, recognizing that his vehicle belonged to a wanted felon. Deputies had tried to conduct a traffic stop on Christopher Michael Straub, 38, in Templeton, California, after recognizing that his vehicle belonged to a wanted felon. Straub then ran through nearby vineyards to a cemetery before hiding and ambushing the deputies with a handgun, according to a press release from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office. It described how the deputies returned fire after Straub fired multiple rounds and hit one of them in the leg. Straub then ran back through the vineyard while still armed and attempted to get back into his vehicle, where two other deputies intercepted him. "The two additional deputies pulled up, engaged the suspect, who was still armed with a handgun, and engaged in a gun battle where the suspect was struck and pronounced dead at the scene," Sheriff Ian Parkinson said at a news conference on Thursday,  as reported by The Trib

 Public lands chief William Pendley, Montana Judge Boots Acting Bureau of Land Management. A federal judge in Montana has ousted President Trump's top public lands official. The ruling blocks William Perry Pendley from continuing to serve as the temporary head of the Bureau of Land Management, a post he's held for more than a year. The judge ruled  in response to a lawsuit  filed by Montana Gov. Steve Bullock who argued it's illegal for Pendley to lead the agency because he'd never been confirmed by the Senate. Bullock is also in a tight race to unseat Montana's Republican Sen. Steve Daines. A U.S. Department of Interior spokesman called the ruling "outrageous," adding, "we will be appealing this decision immediately." Trump nominated Pendley to lead the BLM in June. The Bureau manages roughly one-tenth of the land mass of the United States and approves development of vast publicly owned energy resources including oil and gas wells and coal

 Tyler Technologies ransomware,  but insisted customers were safe. Tyler Technologies has copped to the ransomware attack that still has the company’s phone lines and website off line. In an update to its online statement, Plano, Texas-based Tyler confirmed that early Sept. 23 it was hit with ransomware. It did not specify which variant was used against its network. The company -- No. 46 on the 2019 CRN Solution Provider 500 -- is sticking by its claims that the only portion of its system that was attacked was the internal network used by Tyler Technologies employees, as well as the telephone systems. Tyler said addressing this with clients is the company’s “highest priority.” “We are deploying every resource at our disposal, both internal and external, to take whatever steps are needed to return to business as usual,” the company said. “We are committed to doing that in a responsible, deliberate way, and we are laser-focused on those efforts.” Tyler said it has been in contact with th

 TikTok US ban hearing, decided on few weeks ago. The Trump administration has refused to back down from the TikTok ultimatum that the US President  Donald Trump  decided on few weeks ago. Trump,  few days ago, decided to ban all new downloads of the Chinese app  TikTok  from Sunday.  Trump  has cited national security issue as the reason behind his ban — a claim which has been denied by the app. TikTok   petition for an injunction to block the order from the US government. The US District Judge Carl Nichols set a hearing for Sunday at 9 am — hours before the President's order goes into effect on Sunday noon. The government lawyers have requested the court to let them submit an "under seal", which means the documents submitted will not be available for public record. While  TikTok  has agreed to it for the time being, the company has the right to demand that some documents be made available for the public eye. The ban can cause an irreparable damage to the Chinese video-s

 Coronavirus bird songs, sparrows could sing more softly and sweetly. Early in the pandemic in March and April (or what feels like 10 years ago), there were reports around the world of animals moving into previously busy cityscapes, and  a rising chorus of bird calls . And while many people reported increased sightings of coyotes, mountain lions and other animals,  the reason may simply have been  that we were all stuck at home and thus paying more attention to our surroundings. While it is possible that nearby wildlife, normally turned off by our noise, were now wandering into the territory of their human neighbors, the reports were mostly anecdotal. It’s hard to tell whether these were actually changes in animal behavior versus changes in our perspective. In San Francisco, birders pondered a similar question. “We received many anecdotal accounts of birdsong being more noticeable,” Pam Young, executive director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society, told  Popular Science  in an email. Bu

 Boris Johnson WHO funding, UK pledges £500m to global vaccine-sharing scheme. The UK is to give £500m to a new global vaccine-sharing scheme designed to ensure treatments for Covid-19 are distributed fairly. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make the announcement in a speech to the United Nations general assembly. He will call on world leaders to overcome their differences as he sets out plans to prevent future global pandemics. He will also promise extra funding for the World Health Organization. Mr Johnson will tell foreign counterparts at the UN that the "notion of the international community looks tattered" after the Covid-19 crisis. He will call for states to "reach across borders and repair these ugly rifts", as he announces a plan, developed with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Wellcome Trust, to help stop future pandemics. The proposals include developing a global network of "zoonotic hubs" to identify dangerous pathogens before

 Trump North Carolina Virginia drilling, tourist industry and NASA. President Trump, at a rally in Newport News Friday night announced he is extending the offshore drilling moratorium to Virginia and North Carolina. The President received cheers from the crowd as he pointed out that he had placed a moratorium on drilling off the coasts of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina and he would include Virginia and North Carolina. Virginia officials asked to be included due to opposition by the tourist industry and NASA. Trump has expanded US energy production since taking office resulting in the United States becoming a net exporter of energy which has reduced the urgency for expanding U.S. Oil and Gas production by drilling offshore.

 400,000 stranded seafarers, threatens trade and maritime safety. Some 400,000 seafarers from across the globe are now stranded on ships, continuing to work but unable to be relieved, in a deepening crew change crisis which threatens trade and maritime safety. During a high-level event on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (24 September), Captain Hedi Marzougui, who was in command of a vessel between December 2019 and May 2020, appealed to Governments to act to allow seafarers to come home. “Not knowing when or if we will be returning home brings a severe mental toll on my crew and myself,” Captain Marzougui said. “I would encourage each and every one of you to think of how you would feel, if you had to work every day, for 12 hours, with no weekends, without seeing your loved ones, and trapped at sea. Now add that you have to do that with no idea of when you will be repatriated.” The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on travel and transit have severely impacted on sea

 Derlin Newey tip, Pizza delivery man, 89, receives $12K tip after going viral. An 89-year-old pizza delivery man got a bigger tip than normal from a Utah family on Tuesday -- $12,000 in cash. Derlin Newey, who delivers pizza for Papa John’s in Roy, became a favorite of Carlos Valdez and his wife. The couple became so enamored with Newey’s charm that they began recording his deliveries and broadcasting them to their 53,000 TikTok viewers,  KSL-TV  reported. “It’s insane. Everyone loves him,” Valdez told the television station. Even Newey’s opening line when customers open the door is endearing: "Hello, are you looking for some pizza?” Valdez thought it was insane that a man pushing 90 should be working, particularly running around delivering pizzas. So, using their popular TikTok name of  @vendingheads , they asked their followers to donate a little money to help Newey out. Valdez said he thought he might raise a few dollars, but his followers responded in a big way,  KSL  re

 Belarus opposition lawyer, opposition leader's lawyer Lyudmila Kazak. Amidst the ongoing mass anti-government protests in Belarus, a top opposition leader's lawyer Lyudmila Kazak was arrested by the authorities on Friday, September 25. As per reports, Kazak went missing on Thursday, with police confirming later that she was detained; she has now been released after paying a fine. Belarus opposition leader's detained lawyer freed Last month, Belarus saw the start of mass protests after the results of the presidential elections deemed President Alexander Lukashenko the winner with 80% votes. Protesters have claimed that the election was rigged and have thus called for Lukashenko’s resignation. Belarus police have been accused of using violent tactics against the protesters in addition to mass arrests. As per reports, Lyudmila Kazak was charged with not obeying the police. Kazak in the past has defended Maria Kolesnikova, a key member of a council Belarus’ political oppositio

 Niki Williams admissions, Former exam administrator pleads guilty in college scam. A former Houston college admissions test administrator pleaded guilty Friday to taking bribes in a cheating scheme designed to inflate the scores used to determine whether prospective students got into universities, federal prosecutors said. The guilty plea of Niki Williams is part of a massive  college admissions cheating  case that exposed how wealthy parents would pay to have their children's test scores increased, or to have them falsely admitted as student-athletes. The investigation announced last year was called "Operation Varsity Blues." Williams, 46, a former employee of the Houston Independent School District, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and honest services wire fraud and mail fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts  said in a statement . Williams worked at a high school and took bribes in the

 US UK AI agreement, advance the development of trustworthy AI. Today, the Trump Administration announced that the United States and the United Kingdom signed a  Declaration on Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence Research and Development . Through this historic R&D cooperation agreement, we will work together to drive technological breakthroughs, promote researcher collaboration, and advance the development of trustworthy AI. Today’s announcement is an outcome of the  U.S. – UK Special Relationship Economic Working Group , which was established following a meeting between President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Boris Johnson last year. “America and our allies must lead the world in shaping the development of cutting edge AI technologies and protecting against authoritarianism and repression. We are proud to join our special partner and ally, the United Kingdom, to advance AI innovation for the well-being of our citizens, in line with shared democratic values,” said Michael

 Space station leaking air, NASA has narrowed the source of an elusive leak. NASA is hunting for the source of a leak on the International Space Station. The agency has tested most of the station but still hasn't found the source. That means the leak is probably in one of the two sections crew members stayed while performing the tests. One of those, the Zvezda Service Module, provides life support for the station's Russian side. Engineers are looking into how they might test the remaining sections. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . The International Space Station has been leaking for more than a year.  While the station is  perpetually losing some air , officials first noticed an increase in that airflow last September. At the time, the leak wasn't major, but this summer, officials noticed an uptick in that already higher-than-usual rate. So in late August, the three crew members aboard the station — NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos cos

 FBI investigation John Albers, investigation into her son’s shooting. The news Thursday of a federal civil rights investigation into the 2018 fatal police shooting death of Overland Park teenager John Albers caught his mother, Sheila Albers, by surprise. Albers told the Post Friday morning that she was “completely stunned” to learn the FBI’s Kansas City field office, along with federal prosecutors, had announced an investigation into her son’s shooting. ‘FINALLY IT IS HAPPENING.’ “My gut reaction is: finally. Finally it is happening. Our hope is it will be done with transparency and accountability and that it sends a clear message nationally that chiefs of police and local DAs have to be transparent and have to do the right thing, even if it is difficult,” Albers said. Albers says she had been in contact recently with federal authorities but was still taken by surprise by the announcement an investigation was underway. (File photo.) Albers said she had been in communication with

 Jessikka Aro award State Department, explain why it had done so. The State Department revoked a prestigious award from a Finnish journalist because of social media posts critical of President Donald Trump, according to a report from the State Department  Office of Inspector General. Although the watchdog found that the State Department had acted within its "broad discretion" to rescind the award from Jessikka Aro, it also found that the department lied to Congress and the press to explain why it had done so. Aro, a Finnish investigative journalist with a history of breaking stories on Russian propaganda efforts, had been slated to receive an International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award in March 2019 when suddenly and without explanation the honor was rescinded. After a  Foreign Policy  report suggested that the State Department may have retaliated against her because of her criticism Trump on social media, then-State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino assert

 Oregon student positive negative, But she took another test the same day. Oregon State University freshman Katie Bruun waited in line outside Reser Stadium around 9 a.m. Friday. It was the first day that students could move into the dorms on campus. "I was super excited to live in the dorms," she said. "Super excited to be moving out of my parents' house and I love learning situations. I'm a little bit on the nerdier side, so I was super excited for all of my classes." As part of the moving in process, every student had to take a mandatory COVID-19 test. It was self-administered in front of a trained observer from the university's  TRACE Project . Bruun describes herself as a very scientific person; she's studying for a health sciences major. So, when the testing took place, the way it happened gave Bruun some concerns. "When you did the test it was do it yourself, which is fine, but you put the test back in the paper, which was unsealed a