Hill Country News

Wheels & Warriors, an annual charity car, truck and bike show to benefit military, first responders, their families and those in need, was held at Haute Spot in Cedar Park on Saturday, Sept. 25. more

By Harrison Funk, Special to the Hill Country News | 9/27/21

Starting October 1, students can file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application — commonly called FAFSA — for the academic year that begins in the fall of 2022. The earlier students file, the better their odds of receiving financial aid. (Dreamstime/TNS)

How to get a jumpstart on that dreaded FAFSA form

The shrinking paychecks and job losses of 2020 could prove a bit helpful now, as college students and families make a pitch for financial aid for the 2022-23 school year. Smaller incomes, after … more

Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press (TNS) | 9/15/21

Where were you when the planes struck?

It was 20 years ago — a full generation — that terrorists flew passenger planes full of people into the Pentagon and the World Trades towers. And, on that day, it all changed.Where were you on … more

Richard Stone | Editor at Large | 9/11/21

Competitive eating champion Joey "Jaws" Chestnut wins the 2021 Nathan's Famous 4th of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest with 76 hot dogs, breaking his personal best record of 75 at Coney Island on July 4, 2021 in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images/TNS)

Hot dogs can shave 36 minutes off one’s life, PB&J can restore 33: study

Joey Chestnut better start scarfing nuts and berries. That may help counteract the nearly 46 hours he may have lopped off his life by gulping a winning 76 hot dogs at this year’s … more

Theresa Braine, New York Daily News (TNS) | 8/25/21

The delta variant raises the stakes for many who were already concerned about catching COVID-19 when they return to work. (Joe Ahead/Dreamstime/TNS)

‘I don’t want to risk my life for a paycheck’: Immunosuppressed people grapple with returning to workplace

Elizabeth Groenweghe got a kidney transplant 14 years ago. She now takes several medications to prevent her body from rejecting her transplant organ. But these medications also weaken her immune … more

Victoria Knight, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 8/23/21

Passengers check in and wait by the Spirit Airlines ticket counter in Terminal 4 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The Miramar-based airline canceled more than 2,000 flights in early August, drawing scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Transportation. (Chris Day/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/TNS)

To fly or not to fly: Travelers weigh the risk of getting sick — or canceled

Just as airlines are trying to get back to normal, new fears might keep many travelers off the jetway. Given the rampant spread of COVID-19 variants and a spate of summer … more

David Lyons, South Florida Sun-Sentinel (TNS) | 8/21/21

Doctors will soon be able to monitor health data from their patients’ phones and watches between visits, Apple has announced. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Apple aims to push more patient data to doctors. But who can gauge its impact on health?

Soon, Apple announced recently, it will enable doctors to monitor health data from their patients’ phones and watches between visits, part of the push into health care that Tim Cook, … more

Sarah Kwon, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 8/18/21

A sign for suicide prevention, photographed on the train platform at Suburban Station in Center City Philadelphia on October 31, 2019. (Heather Khalifa/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS)

Mental health advocates seek crisis hotline expansion resources

Advocates are citing growing mental health concerns during the pandemic and the implementation of a 2020 law for a new national suicide hotline as reasons to attach suicide … more

Sandhya Raman, CQ-Roll Call (TNS) | 8/17/21

A local resident gestures as he holds n empty water hose during an attempt to extinguish forest fires approaching the village of Pefki on Evia (Euboea) island, Greece's second largest island, on August 8, 2021. - Hundreds of Greek firefighters fought desperately on August 8 to control wildfires on the island of Evia that have charred vast areas of pine forest, destroyed homes and forced tourists and locals to flee. Greece and Turkey have been battling devastating fires for nearly two weeks as the region suffered its worst heatwave in decades, which experts have linked to climate change. (Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

Climate scientists reach ‘unequivocal’ consensus on human-made warming in landmark report

An epochal new report from the world’s top climate scientists warns that the planet will warm by 1.5 degrees Celsius in the next two decades without drastic moves to eliminate greenhouse gas … more

Eric Roston and Akshat Rathi, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 8/15/21

Miami-Dade residents line-up as they are tested for COVIE-19 at Cagni Park, a Miami-Dade County testing site in North Miami, Florida on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald/TNS)

Déjà vu? Consumers scramble for COVID tests in hard-hit areas

Andrea Mosterman, an associate professor of history at the University of New Orleans, was already dismayed that she had to wait three days to secure a COVID-19 test at a Walgreens near her home after … more

Phil Galewitz, Rachel Bluth and Rae Ellen Bichell, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 8/14/21

Volunteers and staffers knock on a door during an outreach effort to inform residents about a scheduled COVID-19 vaccination event, on June 30, 2021, in Birmingham, Alabama. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

With delta surging, America is dangerously divided over vaccines

Peyton Thetford straddles two Americas. Inside the intensive care unit at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, the 27-year-old nurse has witnessed a dramatic … more

Jenny Jarvie, Richard Read and Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 8/13/21

A Miami-Dade County resident holds a paper unemployment form after waiting inside thier car in line at Slade park in Hialeah, Fla., on April 7, 2020. (Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald/TNS)

For unemployed Black and Hispanic women, an uneven economic recovery looms, experts warn

WASHINGTON — High unemployment experienced by Black and Hispanic women throughout the pandemic will persist long after it is over unless the federal government and employers take targeted … more

Francesca Chambers, McClatchy Washington Bureau (TNS) | 8/11/21

Aworker moves irrigation tubes on a farm in Pinal County, Ariz., on July 21, 2021. For some who still have water rights, farming is still possible. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angels Times/TNS)

Starving cows. Fallow farms. The Arizona drought is among the worst in the country

The cotton's gone. The alfalfa barely exists. "Can you even call this a farm?" asked Nancy Caywood, standing on a rural stretch of land her Texas grandfather settled nearly a century … more

Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 8/10/21

Sunlight is reflected off power lines as steam rises from the Miller coal Power Plant in Adamsville, Alabama, on April 11, 2021. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

Study: Global warming will kill 83 million people in next 80 years

A population equivalent to that of Germany — 83 million people — could be killed by 2100 because of rising temperatures caused by greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a new study that … more

Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 8/6/21

In May 2021, more than 200 protesters rallied at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis, Maryland, to oppose the COVID-19 vaccine mandate announced by the University of Maryland system. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun/TNS)

Don’t want a vaccine? Be prepared to pay more for insurance

America’s COVID-19 vaccination rate is around 60% for ages 12 and up. That’s not enough to reach so-called herd immunity, and in states like Missouri — where a number of counties … more

Elisabeth Rosenthal and Glenn Kramon, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 8/4/21

For many households, the child tax credit payments will provide much needed help in paying for core household needs. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Child tax credit money isn't just like more stimulus cash: What to know

Back to school sales should get a boost after millions of families banked their first monthly advance for the child tax credit in July. Another monthly payment is around the corner come Aug. 13, … more

Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press (TNS) | 8/1/21

CPHS alumnus surprised with home renovation

As the car pulled into her driveway, Lauren expected to find her daughters’ play and home school room more organized when she entered her home. Instead, she walked into an entirely new house filled … more

Lilly Chandler | HCN Reporting Intern | 7/28/21

Dealing with common garden pests

How many times have you been frustrated by finding pesky insects busily chewing away on the lovely flowers or vegetables you planted? Pests like aphids and stink bugs can certainly do … more

4/27/21

An altar girl and boy walk into St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California.

Majority of Americans don’t belong to a place of worship in historic decline, poll finds

For the first time in eight decades, fewer than 50% of Americans say they belong to a church, synagogue or mosque amid an ongoing steep decline in religious attendance ... more

Mike Stunson, Lexington Herald-Leader (TNS) | 4/6/21

Last March the group competed in San Francisco, CA.

Chasing the Dream; Area vocalist finds joy in college a capella group

From Cedar Park Middle School to Vanderbilt University to Dubai and now, the Internet, Daniel Williamson’s passion for singing has carried his voice to many … more

Lilly Chandler | Special to the Hill Country News | 12/1/20

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