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Austin could re-vote on Project Connect this fall -- here's why

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:49:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Mayor Kirk Watson forewarned in a his newsletter Thursday of a possible re-vote on Project Connect, a mass transit system approved by city voters back in November 2020.At issue: Two bills going through the Texas Legislature would require voters to sign off on all of the following components related to a project:What the debt would be used forHow much debt product leaders need to issueThe tax rate needed to pay back the debtRep. Ellen Troxclair, who helped file the House version of the bill, cited Project Connect as motivations behind the "No Blank Checks Act." In a March statement to KXAN, she said inflated costs related to Project Connect served as motivation behind the filing, adding the voter-approved tax rate increase election doesn't authorize Project Connect to issue "new debt without limit, and without voters' approval." RELATED: Project Connect funding challenged by Texas lawmakers In his newsletter, Watson slammed the state-level effort as "a terri...

Wild coach Dean Evason calls outs Stars for embellishment: ‘We don’t dive’

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:49:59 GMT

As he wrapped up his press conference on Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Stars coach Pete DeBoer took it as an opportunity to throw some shade. Asked about the officials having to dish out a handful of misconduct penalties to keep things from unraveling, DeBoer referenced how the Wild struggled to stay out of the penalty box during the regular season.“Not surprised,” DeBoer said. “We know Minnesota takes penalties. They’re the sixth-most penalized team in the league. We’re ready for that.”The statement was factually correct. The Wild did indeed finish sixth in the NHL during the regular season with 935 penalty minutes. Asked on Thursday afternoon if he heard DeBoer’s comments, Wild coach Dean Evason smiled and replied, “We watch all the press conferences.”In that same breath, Evason used it as an opportunity to make a point of his own, noting how the Wild felt there has been some embellishment on the pa...

Tim Culpan: Maybe A.I. needs to write its own dictionary

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:49:59 GMT

An explosion of interest in artificial intelligence is irking a lot of people concerned about the encroachment by computers into human domains such as visual arts, music, and literature. More recently, even the terms we use to describe these systems don’t sit well with some who take issue with digging up old words for new uses or anthropomorphizing machines.Both phenomena were already common well before electric circuits started writing poems, so much of the recent drama is based on fear rather than logic. Which is suitable: Machines don’t feel fear, and human logic often fails.Even the term artificial intelligence is taken as an affront by sentient beings when it’s ascribed to non-living objects. It’s a valid point, one that’s been argued for centuries even as philosophers struggle to define “intelligence.” To that end, computer scientists such as Alan Turing, famed for helping crack German cryptography during World War II, have speculated ...

‘Losing Josh will never go away, ever,’ says widow of slain deputy

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:49:59 GMT

GLENWOOD, Minn. — The wife of the Pope County deputy who was slain last Saturday thanked the community for its ongoing support.A statement by Shannon Owen was read by her husband’s cousin, Josh Palmateer, at a news conference Thursday at the Pope County Courthouse in Glenwood.Also present were Shannon Owen and Pope County Deputy Eric Thesing, along with other family members.Deputy Josh Owen was shot during a domestic violence call in Cyrus and later died at the Glenwood hospital on his 44th birthday. He leaves behind his wife, Shannon, and son, Rylan.“I want to start by thanking everyone who has come out and supported Rylan and me over the last few days,” Palmateer read from the statement. “The outpouring of love from our law enforcement family and our broader community has been amazing, and I’m so grateful. I’ve never received this much support for anything.”In the statement, Shannon Owen said the community has been there for her when she d...

Duluth breaks all-time snow record as rain sends St. Paul flood crest higher

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:49:59 GMT

DULUTH, Minn. — In the end, it seems almost anticlimactic. When 2 inches of snow falls in mid-April, it’s not usually something to celebrate.But the 2 inches of new snow that fell overnight at the National Weather Service in Duluth was enough to propel the winter of 2022-23 to the snowiest since records have been kept starting in 1870.Duluth’s seasonal snowfall total as of 6 a.m. Thursday sat at 137.1 inches, topping the previous record of 135.4 inches that fell in the winter of 1995-96.And it hasn’t just been snowy in Duluth. Brainerd set a record this winter at 85.3 inches while Bayfeld, Wis., has its new record at 171.6 inches.The Twin Cities stand at 90.3 inches for the season, making for the third snowiest winter on record. The two winter seasons with more snow were 1981-82 with 95 inches, and 1983-84 with 98.6.But for beleaguered Duluthians, don’t put that shovel away just yet. The Weather Service is forecasting another 2-4 inches of snow and sleet through Friday in Duluth wit...

With cyclists in mind, MnDOT to show 3 designs for John Ireland Boulevard redo near State Capitol

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:49:59 GMT

In the spring and summer of 2026, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will rebuild John Ireland Boulevard from the Minnesota State Capitol over Interstate 94 almost to Kellogg Boulevard, a $16.2 million project that will take its spans offline for most of the construction season.The boulevard, which technically spans two bridges built in the mid-1960s, already has markings for in-street bike lanes. An open house on Tuesday will showcase three potential designs for the new bridge decks, which could stay roughly the same, add a six-inch tall raised median between drivers and cyclists or install a 20-inch tall concrete barrier between the two. Public input on the designs will  include an online survey that will run through June 30.Currently, “there’s markings, but there’s not a physical barrier,” said MnDOT spokesperson Ricardo Lopez.None of the three designs would add or remove any of the four car lanes, but two options adding a physical separation betwe...

Man only gets $5K in Syberg's seafood allergy lawsuit

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:49:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Charles County man lost an appeal against Syberg's restaurant last week, after suffering an allergic reaction in 2015 while attending Easter brunch.Andrew Denney sought $50,000 in damages and court costs, claiming Syberg's Westport was negligent, committed breach of warranty, and caused him emotional distress over the ordeal.According to court documents, Denney, who has a seafood allergy, went to the Maryland Heights restaurant on April 5, 2015, for brunch. Syberg's had separated its shrimp station from other food offerings, and Denney made sure to avoid that table. Top Story: Severe storms possible Thursday afternoon and evening While in the buffet line, Denney asked a Syberg's employee if a particular item contained seafood. The employee identified the item as "cheesy hash brown casserole" and said it did not have seafood in it. However, the item was not hash browns, but rather "crab-stuffed cod." After eating some of that food, Denney suffered symptoms of an a...

Man admits to robbing St. Louis-area ATM workers at gunpoint

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:49:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A man admitted to robbing two ATM service workers at gunpoint and taking off with a large bag of cash. Mark Diggs, 21, pleaded guilty to three felony charges in the case; robbery, possession of a firearm and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime. Trending: Man only gets $5K in Syberg’s seafood allergy lawsuit According to court documents, Diggs admitted to robbing two employees of ATM Solutions on May 31, 2022. They were working on an ATM machine for Vantage Credit Union at an undisclosed location in St. Louis County. Diggs reportedly emerged from the back seat of a white Kia Optima. While armed with an AM-15 firearm, he demanded that an employee throw him a bag of cash. The robbery was captured on video.Later on, a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper found the money bag, and Diggs’ DNA was later found on paper inside it. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News ...

Man sentenced for anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime in Kansas City

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:49:59 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man was sentenced Thursday to nearly 22 years in federal prison for committing a hate crime when he shot and wounded a teenager because of the victim's sexual orientation, prosecutors said.Malachi Robinson, 25, pleaded guilty in July to violating federal hate crime laws when he shot the 16-year-old eight times on May 29, 2019. He was sentenced Thursday to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.The teenager survived after spending two weeks in the hospital but underwent several surgeries and physical therapy and still has bullets in his body, prosecutors said. Top Story: Severe storms possible Thursday afternoon and evening Court documents said the two met by chance and were walking near Swope Park when Robinson suggested they go into a wooded area to engage in a sex act. But Robinson wrote separately to his girlfriend that he “might shoot this boy” because of his sexual orientation.When the teenager changed his mind and tried ...

A’s break fans’ hearts again with Vegas relocation news

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:49:59 GMT

By JANIE McCAULEY (AP Baseball Writer)OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Thibodaux arrived in the Bay Area in 1995 from Texas and instantly became a fan of the Oakland Athletics. The one-time Astros fan cheered slugger Mark McGwire, who hit 52 home runs the following year. He saw the glory days of Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley; of Eric Chavez, Jason Giambi and Miguel Tejada; of $2 BART rides and bargain bleacher seats in the third deck. The A’s “converted me over pretty quickly,” he said. All these years later, Thibodaux and many Oakland fans already were heartbroken about the state of their struggling team — small crowds, bad baseball and dismal winters watching top players being traded away or lost in free agency. Now, the greatest disappointment yet: Yes, the A’s are leaving for Las Vegas. “This has seemed to be inevitable for a year or so, at least,” Thibodaux said Thursday. “I’m still more saddened than I thought I would ...