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More severe storms could erupt today as rescue work continues after 2 died in Oklahoma amid tornadoes reports
More severe storms are threatening some 50 million people from Texas to Wisconsin after the same system left at least two people dead in Oklahoma, with a dozen tornadoes reported across three states and search-and-rescue still underway in some places.
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He started shooting when a basketball rolled into his yard, neighbors said. Now, a manhunt is on as a 6-year-old and her dad recover
A manhunt is underway near Charlotte, North Carolina, for a man who reportedly shot and seriously wounded his 6-year-old neighbor and her dad when a basketball rolled into his yard.
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SpaceX's Starship rocket lifts off for inaugural test flight, but explodes midair
Originally Published: 20 APR 23 09:45 ET Updated: 20 APR 23 10:51 ET By Jackie Wattles and Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) -- SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, took off from a launch pad on the coast of South Texas on Thursday at 9:28 a.m. ET, but exploded midair before stage separation. Thursday's launch marked the vehicle's historic first test flight. "As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation," SpaceX tweeted. The massive Super Heavy rocket booster, which houses 33 engines, lifted off and sent a massive boom across the coastal landscape as it fired to life. The Starship spacecraft, riding atop the booster, soared out over the Gulf of Mexico. About two and a half minutes after takeoff, the Super Heavy rocket booster was scheduled to expend most of its fuel and separate from the Starship spacecraft, leaving the booster to be discarded in the ocean. The Starship was meant to use its own engines, blazing for more than six minutes, to propel itself to nearly orbital speeds. The flight reached its highest point 24.2 miles (39 kilometers) above the ground and the explosion occurred about four minutes after liftoff, according to SpaceX. SpaceX said that "teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test." Defining success for Starship Although it ended in an explosion, Thursday's test met several of the company's objectives for the vehicle. Clearing the launch pad was a major milestone for Starship. In the lead-up to Thursday's liftoff, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk sought to temper expectations, saying, "success is not what should be expected...That would be insane." "With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today's test will help us improve Starship's reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary," SpaceX tweeted after the explosion. Musk congratulated the team on "an exciting test launch" in a post-launch tweet and said they "learned a lot for next test launch in a few months." SpaceX will need a new launch license from the FAA to make another attempt, but the company does not expect the process to be as laborious as securing the license for Thursday's launch. NASA administrator Bill Nelson took to Twitter to share his congratulations on the flight test. "Every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward. Looking forward to all that SpaceX learns, to the next flight test —and beyond." The test flight comes after years of explosive tests, regulatory hurdles and public hyping from Musk. The company has been known to embrace fiery mishaps during the rocket development process. SpaceX maintains that such accidents are the quickest and most efficient way of gathering data, an approach that sets the company apart from its close partner NASA, which prefers slow, methodical testing over dramatic flare-ups. Musk has talked about Starship — making elaborate presentations about its design and purpose — for years, and he frequently harps on its potential for carrying cargo and humans to Mars, though NASA also plans to use the vehicle to put its astronauts on the moon. He's even said that his sole purpose for founding SpaceX was to develop a vehicle like Starship that could establish a human settlement on the Red Planet. Throngs of spectators lined local beaches to catch a glimpse of Starship's takeoff, pouring onto beaches with fold-out chairs, children and dogs in tow. It echoed the turnout on Monday, at the company's first launch attempt, which was ultimately left grounded as engineers worked to troubleshoot an issue with a valve on the Super heavy booster. In the area surrounding Starbase — SpaceX's name for the Starship development site that lies on Texas' southernmost tip — many locals have greeted the rocket with fervid enthusiasm. Throughout the area, there are signs of Starship permeating the local culture: a model Starship in a front yard, a "Rocket Ranch" camping ground filled with diehard enthusiasts, and a billboard advertising Martian beer. What to know about this rocket Development of Starship has been based at SpaceX's privately held spaceport about 40 minutes outside Brownsville, Texas, on the US-Mexico border. Testing began years ago with brief "hop tests" of early spacecraft prototypes. The company started with brief flights that lifted a few dozen feet off the ground before evolving to high-altitude flights, most of which resulted in dramatic explosions as the company attempted to land the prototypes upright. One suborbital flight test in May 2021, however, ended in success. Since then, SpaceX has also been working to get its Super Heavy booster prepared for flight. The gargantuan, 230-foot-tall (69-meter-tall) cylinder is packed with 33 of the company's Raptor engines. Fully stacked, Starship and Super Heavy stand about 400 feet (120 meters) tall.
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Postseason Atmosphere Lead Astros To Victory Over Blue Jays
HOUSTON - - On Wednesday, something seemed slightly different at Minute Maid Park. Another type of energy and vibe had the ballpark buzzing with liveliness before the first pitch was thrown in front of the 40,545 people in attendance, which was the fourth home sellout of the season.
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Fort Bend County Judge KP George to Announce New Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Manager
Fort Bend County Judge KP George has announced his appointment for the County’s Manager of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on Monday, April 17, at 10:00 a.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 307 Fort St., Richmond, TX 77469. Greg Babst is the new Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Manager.
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2 Felony Charges For White Man Who Shot Black Teen For Ringing His Doorbell
Everyone should have the right to feel safe within their homes. However, the line between self defense and self incrimination can get a little blurry when the situation becomes race-related.
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GOP prepared to block vote to replace Feinstein on Senate Judiciary
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that he hopes to replace Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee with Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland and aims to set up a floor vote on the issue this afternoon, which Republicans are expected to block.
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Earth Day HTX Comes to Downtown Houston April 17-19
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner invites everyone to celebrate Earth Day HTX, the largest Earth Day event ever presented by the City of Houston. An environmentally-focused speaker series will take place April 17-18, culminating with an outdoor interactive festival at City Hall on April 19 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
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City of Houston Kicks-Off Earth Day HTX
Speaker Series will Continue Tuesday, April 18
The City of Houston will host Day Two of the Earth Day HTX celebration beginning at 9 a.m., Tuesday, April 18, with discussions on Flood Mitigation, Preparedness and Policy, and the Disproportionality of Climate Change Impact on People with Disabilities.
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First Home Run at Minute Maid Park Means A Lot to Home Town Rookie Corey Julks
It has been an exhilarating two weeks for Houston Astros rookie reserve outfielder Corey Julks.
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Coming Up at Discovery Green!
Spring is in full swing and Discovery Green has activities for all Houstonians! See below for a breakdown of what is happening next weekend.
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Alicia Keys Announces North American Summer Tour
The Keys to the Summer Tour
Alicia Keys announced today that she will be launching a North American summer concert tour which starts June 28thin Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Produced by Live Nation, the KEYS TO THE SUMMER TOUR follows her sold-out and critically acclaimed The Alicia + Keys World Tour which brought Keys across Europe, North America and will soon head to Latin America.
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Chit, Chat & Chew
Before you can market, sell or even open a business, you must be vigilant in honing your leadership skills. I am Joi Beasley, a Houston business owner for the last 16 years. Houston has so many great programs that teach us to how to sell, market, operate, purchase, accounting, finance, etc. all the elements of doing business. What I have found there are a lot assumptions about small business owners, their #2s, CEOs and the C-Suite. The assumption is they were taught to lead. Leading is a lifelong learning journey that has to grow and develop as our businesses grow and develop.
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FAA lifts nationwide ground stop for Southwest Airlines flights after equipment issues
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday morning lifted a nationwide ground stop for Southwest Airlines flights after earlier issuing the order, citing "equipment issues."
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Students trapped and diplomats assaulted as confusion reigns over ceasefire in Sudan
Gunfire, explosions and overhead fighter jets were heard across Sudan's capital Khartoum and nearby cities on Tuesday, amid conflicting reports of an agreed ceasefire.
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Quarterback Jalen Hurts signs record-breaking five-year extension with Philadelphia Eagles; reportedly highest-paid player in NFL history
The Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts have agreed to a five-year extension of the star's contract, the NFL team announced Monday.
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FAA issues nationwide ground stop for Southwest Airlines flights due to equipment issues
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a nationwide ground stop for Southwest Airlines flights, citing "equipment issues."
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Black doctors can increase the life expectancy of Black patients by 10%. Hear how
A new study shows that having Black doctors in a majority-Black community can increase the life expectancy of Black patients by 10%. Doctor Kameelah Phillips joins "CNN This Morning" to discuss the new findings.
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McCarthy makes plea for Republicans to back debt ceiling plan
Speaker Kevin McCarthy made a plea to House Republicans during a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning to back his debt ceiling plan, telling them that although it doesn't have to include everything they want, it will help get him to the negotiating table.