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Is pumpkin spice an addiction? Maybe not, but it's not the opposite either

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:30 GMT

(WHTM) — Americans are drinking and eating a lot of pumpkin-spice everything this time of year, so could it actually be an addiction?Not exactly, according to one WellSpan Psychiatrist. But, he says, marketers are taking advantage of a strong link we develop in our brains between our senses, like taste, and the experiences we have at the same time."It is how our minds work," Dr. J.P. Shand, a psychiatrist at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, said. "This is the way that we associate our environment to our memories. And when we have the opportunity to have a really potent flavor scent introduced to us, we can exhibit all of these memories and feelings associated with that. And people love fall." Starbucks has BOGO Pumpkin Spice Lattes all September Pumpkin spice is also sold only for a "limited time only" and scarcity does increase value. "And when you have a time-limited, let's say, a piece in time, you relate this flavor to, you start making these assoc...

Semiconductor manufacturer discusses plans to expand Austin operations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin Economic Development Department said it was discussing plans with a Netherlands semiconductor manufacturer to improve and expand its semiconductor chip manufacturing operations in Austin.The manufacturer is NXP Semiconductors N.V., and it currently has two Austin-based chip manufacturing facilities.“NXP's investment has the potential to generate an estimated annual economic impact of $560 million,” the city said in a statement.The city said it valued the insights and perspectives of the community and encouraged Austinites to provide feedback, ideas, and concerns regarding the local expansion package. The final day to contribute is Sept. 15 at 5 p.m.

Gophers have two big offensive concerns going into road test at North Carolina

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:30 GMT

The Gophers football team has two primary offensive concerns going into Saturday’s road test at No. 17 North Carolina.Minnesota has struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone through its first two games and now one of its most-important players in that area is injured going into the Tar Heels game.In wins over Nebraska and Eastern Michigan, the U has scored touchdowns on only three of their eight series into the red zone. The Gophers kicked field goals on four drives and turned the ball over on downs on one series.The Gophers’ TD rate (37.5 percent) in the red zone is ranked 119th in the country after two weeks.“We get down inside the 5 (-yard line) and that is not our style of football coming away with three points, three points and zero,” head coach P.J. Fleck said Saturday. “That’s not what I want. That’s not how I’m built. That’s not what I’m used to.”And in Saturday’s fourth quarter, key tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford had an undisclosed injured. He jogged off the field after a ...

DOC orders testing of water at Stillwater prison after complaints of brown water

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:30 GMT

After complaints from inmates that water in the Stillwater prison was dirty, the Department of Corrections brought in 51,000 bottles of water to the correctional facility on Saturday, according to a news release by the DOC.The delivery, which authorities say cost $5,800, will give each inmate seven bottles of water a day during more “comprehensive testing” on the prison’s water source by a third-party last to make sure the well water coming in through the prison pipes is safe to drink, the release said.The 51,000 bottles are anticipated to last five days during testing. More bottled water will be purchased “as needed,” said Andy Skoogman, a spokesman for the DOC, in the statement.Communities United Against Police Brutality reacted to this development on Sunday morning.“This is an admission that there are issues with the water in Stillwater Prison, that the water is brown as the inmates have stated and that the MN DOC should have taken action soone...

Business People: Former Senate minority leader López Franzen to lead lobbying efforts for the U

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:30 GMT

OF NOTEMelisa López FranzenThe University of Minnesota announced that Melisa López Franzen will serve as executive director of Government and Community Relations. López Franzen is a former Minnesota state senator and Senate minority leader, an adjunct professor at the U of M’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and co-founder of NewPublica, a multicultural communications consulting firm.ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONSMarketing Architects, a Minnetonka-based TV advertising agency, announced the hire of Steve Babcock as chief creative officer. Previously, Babcock served in the same role at VaynerMedia.ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERINGGolden Valley-based engineering and consulting firm WSB announced the promotions of Kory Bonnell to director of environmental compliance and Mark Osborn to director of geotechnical services.CONSTRUCTIONLegacy Restoration, Plymouth, announced it secured the 16th spot on Roofing Contractor Magazine‘s list of Top Roofing Contractors in the U.S.; Legacy is the seve...

Two pedestrians dead after New Lebanon crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:30 GMT

NEW LEBANON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- State Police announced they are investigating a fatal car crash that resulted in the deaths of two pedestrians. The incident took place on Saturday night at the New Lebanon Valley Speedway. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! On September 9 at 8:21 p.m., troopers were dispatched to a crosswalk near the speedway, located on US Highway 20. The preliminary investigation determined that a vehicle was traveling eastbound on US Highway 20 when the car struck two pedestrians in the crosswalk.Emergency medical personnel attempted life saving measures, but the two victims, identified as Gary Sheldon, 74, and Patricia Platt, 77, both of Clarksburg, were pronounced deceased at the scene. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

Aurora police investigating shooting at apartment complex Sunday

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:30 GMT

Police in Aurora are investigating a Sunday morning shooting that hospitalized two people at an apartment complex.Just after 1:15 a.m., Aurora officers responded to multiple reports of shots being fired at the Fitzsimmons Apartments on Nome Street, near Colfax Avenue, according to a post from the police department.About 1:15a this, Aurora911 started to receive numerous calls about shots being fired at the Fitzsimmons Apartments on Nome near Colfax.Offices arrived and located two victims, a man and woman, who had been shot. The woman had a minor graze wound and the man had a tourniquet… pic.twitter.com/LLhthPXYvI— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) September 10, 2023When officers arrived on the scene, they found two gunshot victims — a woman who was grazed with a bullet and a man who was shot in the leg. Both were transported to the hospital.Officers also discovered number shell casings, possibly indicating an exchange of gunfire between multiple people, the police department...

Former telecom exec sells Castle Rock ranch for record $7.8M

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:30 GMT

The property was remote when former TW Telecom president and CEO John Blount bought 132 acres near Castle Rock for $3.3 million in 2007.Since then, Castle Rock has expanded to surround it.Blount, who calls the property the B5 Ranch, listed it for $8.5 million in June, hoping a new owner would keep it as a ranch and consider it a legacy property.“They feel like it’s an oasis in the middle of a bustling community,” said listing agent Elaine Stucy with LIV Sotheby’s International Realty.The ranch went under contract in days and closed on Aug. 31 for $7.8 million, a record for Castle Rock.The recently remodeled home features stonework and a petrified wood ceiling. (Photo courtesy Travis Wolford with Sotheby International)Josh O’Connell with Compass-Denver represented the buyers, listed in public records as 2BR LLC.  The buyers plan to live in the home as a family, stable their horses and graze a herd of cattle, Stucy said.The ranch includes a 10,425-square-foot mansion with six bedrooms...

Aaron Rodgers gets ‘butterflies,’ too. How does the Jets QB handle the pressure of the spotlight?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:30 GMT

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. (AP Pro Football Writer)FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The word sounded a bit surprising — and frankly, fascinating — as soon as it passed Aaron Rodgers’ lips.The New York Jets quarterback was discussing his emotions before his preseason debut with his new team a few weeks ago when he acknowledged he’s, well, just like everyone else.“Yeah, I had some butterflies, for sure,” Rodgers said.Butterflies? Really? That from a guy entering his 19th NFL season who has been through everything you could imagine on a football field. He has won the league’s MVP award four times, played in numerous big games and won a Super Bowl.“First time I strap it on, it’s kind of the standard,” Rodgers said, “whether I’m in Year One playing the San Diego Chargers or Year 19, preseason (game) No. 4, there’s always some butterflies when you step out there for the first time.”Even the game’s greatest ...

Oktoberfest comes to Los Gatos with music, games and beer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:30 GMT

Oktoberfest in Los GatosOktoberfest is coming to the Los Gatos Civic Center Lawn next month. On Sunday, Oct. 1, KCAT Public Media will host the event with the help of sponsors including The Alarm Company, Pacific Ridge Builders and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian. The event, which will run from 12:30 to 6:30 p.m., is free and open to the public, but pets are not permitted. It will feature music and outdoor games, as well as German food and a beer and wine garden.The night before, KCAT and Successful Aging Solutions & Community Consulting (SASCC) will hold a Los Gatos Celebrity Bingo event in the Oktoberfest main tent from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Winners will receive cash prizes.San Francisco Opera SeriesThe next installment in the San Francisco Opera’s lecture series will encapsulate the musical and technological traditions of the Bay Area. The opera’s content curator will give a talk on “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” a biographical show about the tech mogul.The lecture w...