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Austin Trail of Lights working to rectify accessibility concerns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

Editor’s note: The above video shows KXAN’s morning headlines for Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Steven Eichner has lived in Austin for years but had never made his way out to the city's annual Trail of Lights holiday display. When he tried to attend a Rice University alumni event at Trail of Lights Sunday night, he said he ran into several accessibility issues that made navigating the event in a wheelchair all the more difficult.Eichner said he and his wife arrived at the event around 6 p.m. Sunday. When he tried to make his way over to the party registration tent, he said the accessible ramp laid over the curb was approximately a four-inch over one foot of ramp. Under ADA standards, those should be one inch of rise over one foot of ramp, he said. Trail of Lights parking lot closed Thursday due to rain "[That four-inch ramp is] like, incredibly steep," he said. "If you tried to go up something like that, there's a good chance you're going to tip over, and that's not good...

Heavier rain expected at times over the holiday weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On and off waves of light rain continue, leading to a dreary late-December stretch of weather. Periods of heavier rain are possible late Saturday and early Sunday, then drier, cooler weather returns starting Christmas Day.A Pacific storm spinning near California is sending cloudy skies and damp weather our way. Occasional light rain continues with areas of light fog overnight, Friday and early Saturday.As the storm makes its closest approach to Texas, we may see more numerous rain and even a few heavier thunderstorms locally Saturday night into Sunday morning.Additional rain totals are expected to reach one inch in many areas, leading to storm totals as high as 1.25" in some communities.A cold front brings back sunshine and chilly weather on Christmas Day. A period of dry weather and sunshine continues all of next week, then wet weather may return for the first week of the new year. BLOG: How often does Austin typically freeze Winter Weather Outlook: What a str...

Francis Wilkinson: Giuliani’s fall won’t stop the GOP’s voter fraud farce

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

A federal jury’s $148 million judgment in a Georgia defamation case was only nominally about a hapless has-been named Rudolph Giuliani.The former New York mayor, whose descent into pathos and corruption needs no retelling here, flagrantly lied about two Georgia election workers, baselessly claiming they had committed fraud while they administered the 2020 election. The lies inspired racist threats against the women — a wholly predictable result given the racial aggression that animates the MAGA base. A jury in Washington, D.C., found that Giuliani, who declined to testify and essentially offered no defense, owes massive damages for his calumny.Giuliani, however, is just a bit player in a larger, longer story. The lies were first planted in the political ground before Giuliani was even mayor of New York. Now, they’re blooming everywhere.After all, what’s the basis of the criminal case against Donald Trump in Georgia — and of the related plea agreements o...

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson knows 1,000 yards is still within reach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson has 45 catches for 682 yards this season. He needs 318 yards over the next few weeks — an average of 106 yards per game — to maintain his streak of 1,000-yard seasons.After missing a couple of months with a hamstring injury, Jefferson admitted the round number would be a nice consolation.Not that it’s his main focus with the Vikings preparing for a big game against the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve.“I’m not going to let it affect my play,” Jefferson said. “I’m not going to be getting frustrated just because I don’t get the ball.”Jefferson’s goal entering the season was to become the first player in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards in a single season. He was on a pretty good pace before his hamstring injury forced him to miss significant playing time. He readjusted his goal to 1,000 yards while adding that he’s more concerned with helping the Vikings win as many games as possible.̶...

Just one of 41 St. Paul Neighborhood STAR grants went to an arts organization

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

Not long ago, Mark Pfeifer applied to the city of St. Paul for just under $50,000 to spruce up the Hmong Cultural Center on University Avenue, as well as to expand its new museum next door. As the longstanding program director with the center, he was hopeful that the city’s Neighborhood STAR grant program would be a logical funding source to improve disability access, lighting and a room dedicated to children’s music lessons.To his surprise, the Hmong Cultural Center was turned down for funding by the 12-member Neighborhood STAR board, which makes spending recommendations to the mayor’s office.So were previous recipients like the East Side Freedom Library, TaikoArts Midwest and at least seven or eight different nonprofit arts organizations. In fact, none of the 41 in Neighborhood STAR grants — which are funded by the city’s half-cent sales tax — went to the arts through the traditional deadline-driven process. The grants total $2.3 million.“...

St. Paul potholes: mission accomplished?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

It’s taken more than two months of overtime work on Saturdays to get it done, but St. Paul Public Works has patched potholes on all of St. Paul’s streets before the season’s first major snowfall.“We did go up and down every street in the city as part of this route-patching, which I don’t know that we’ve ever done,” said St. Paul Public Works Director Sean Kershaw on Thursday. “It was a big accomplishment.”The challenge was glaringly apparent to motorists who ventured into the city during spring thaw: a record-setting snow season last winter and heavy snow and ice accumulation during rain and freeze-thaw cycles made corridors of ugly, hard-to-navigate mincemeat out of many of the city’s streets.An extended pothole-filling seasonKershaw recalled the day in June when members of his department came into his office and broke the news to him that the typical complaint-driven approach to summer pothole patching wouldn’t cut ...

New York State Police graduate 232 from basic training

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

ALBANY, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) -- Governor Kathy Hochul was on hand to graduate 232 new New York State Troopers from the 213th session of the Basic School of the New York State Police Academy on Thursday, December 20. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! The ceremony was held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany earlier this morning. The graduation of 232 new troopers now brings their ranks to 4,781 sworn members.“I commend these 232 men and women for dedicating themselves to public service and their commitment to protecting the people of New York State,” Governor Hochul said. “The members of the New York State Police put their lives on the line each day to keep the rest of us safe – in a world where their mission has grown more challenging and complex. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to thank the graduates for their hard work and perseverance – and welcome them to the long gray line.” 24 of the 232 new troopers will be as...

Missouri marijuana sales top $1.2 billion in first legal recreational year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri dispensaries have sold more than $1.2 billion of marijuana products in the first year of legalized recreational sales. According to the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association (MoCannTrade), state dispensaries topped $1,215,000,000 in sales through November. Soulard bar owners question legitimacy of NYE bar crawl promoted online MoCannTrade says the grand total consists of $930 million of recreational adult use sales and $285 million of medical marijuana sales. For non-medical purposes, Missouri's first marijuana sales for adults over 21 began on Feb. 3. Since then, the state has averaged nearly $4 million in sales of legal cannabis products per day. MoCannTrade estimates state sales will top $1.3 billion by the end of the year, possibly $1 billion for recreational sales alone. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News ...

St. Louis man sentenced nearly a decade in armed carjacking case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A federal judge sentenced a St. Louis man to nearly a decade in prison Thursday over an armed carjacking last year. Demetrius Nettles, 49, previously pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime in September. The carjacking happened May 15, 2022, in the 4600 block of Dewey Avenue in the Dutchtown neighborhood. Soulard bar owners question legitimacy of NYE bar crawl promoted online Investigators say that Nettles demanded the victim's keys just before he pointed a gun at her stomach. He took off in the woman's 2020 Hyundai Elantra, but authorities arrested him later on during a traffic stop. In a letter to the judge, the victim said she had packed her car to go to a picnic and planned to offer Nettles a sandwich and a bottle of water as he approached her.The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and FBI investigated this case.

New murder charge for driver who fled police after crash victim dies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - A Madison County grand jury issued new charges on Thursday against a St. Louis driver for fleeing from police in November 2022 and causing a fatal crash.Ronnell Welch, 39, had previously been charged with aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer, aggravated reckless driving, possession of a stolen vehicle, and residential burglary.Thursday's indictment tacked on charges of first-degree murder and reckless homicide.According to the Madison County State's Attorney's Office, the crime took place on Nov. 14, 2022. Welch is accused of entering a Granite City woman's home with the intention of stealing her pickup truck. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW Welch is said to have stolen the truck and fled, with ...