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Texas House initially passes school safety 'panic alert' legislation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas House gave initial approval Monday to a bill that would change technology requirements for how public school campuses initiate lockdowns and alert authorities in the case of emergencies.The bill, which introduced by Rep. Shawn Thierry, D-Houston, would require Texas schools to have alert devices with technology that immediately notify EMS, law enforcement and other first responders in the case of an emergency. Her legislation is modeled after Florida's "Alyssa’s Law," which was named after one of the victims of the Parkland high school shooting in Florida, which left 17 people dead. The goal of the law is to address lagged law enforcement response due to slowed, secondary communication between teachers and administrators and 911 operators and first responders. Florida, New York and New Jersey have adopted these laws.When presenting the bill, the Houston Democrat noted that legislators and many state agencies already have this type of technology for their...

TCEQ moves forward in approval process for East Austin rock-crushing plant, despite push back

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN)— A state agency is moving forward in the approval process for a rock-crushing plant, despite push back from neighbors who feel it's way too close to homes.Neighbors are worried about air quality. Some who have lived in the area for generations, said they've been dealing with dusty air for years, just from temporary plants. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regulates permits for the plants. "Sometimes, depending on the wind, it can be so thick, you can barely see through it," David Sides, a neighbor said.Christopher Lupone fears the prolonged exposure to dust could really make people sick. "It's a big health risk," Lupone said. Sides and Lupone live on opposite sides of where the plant would go—less than a mile or so away from the site. Both are worried what will happen now that a company has applied for a permit to have a permanent rock-crushing plant. "There are 250 homes within a mile less than a mile of this," Lupone said. "It's ridiculous to think that ...

U2 creating immersive experience with Sphere Las Vegas concerts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

LOS ANGELES — U2 is familiar with rocking out in major sporting arenas and stadiums, but the legendary band will soon hit the stage to create a new immersive concert experience inside a high-tech, globe-shaped venue in Las Vegas.Live Nation and Sphere Entertainment announced Monday the dates for U2’s upcoming “U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere” shows starting Sept. 29. The rock band’s special five-night run of shows will be held until Oct. 8 at The Venetian’s Sphere with a state-of-the-art audio and visual system designed for each concertgoer.“This is a venue designed for entertainment, not sports,” said U2 guitarist The Edge in a recent interview. He first learned about the cutting-edge venue after lead singer Bono sent him a link about the concept. He said the screen is 20 times bigger than the one during the band’s Joshua Tree tour in 2019 — the last time U2 performed live in a concert setting.“Sports is a simple formula. You want to see the action,” he continued. “But no one rea...

Thai woman sentenced role in international sex trafficking ring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

A Thai woman who helped run an international sex trafficking ring that operated in the Twin Cities was sentenced Monday in federal court for her role in the organization.Sumalee Intarathong, 62, was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank in St. Paul to time served since her arrest in 2016 and $500,000 in restitution to the victims. She also agreed to be removed from the U.S. to Belgium or Thailand and will be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out the court’s order.Intarathong is the last of 38 defendants sentenced in the sprawling case, which was first announced in 2016, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for Minnesota.Intarathong pleaded guilty last year to one count each of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. She was a member of a criminal organization that recruited hundreds of impoverished young women from Bangkok, Thailand, to move to the U.S. and serve as sex workers.The victims wer...

Gov. Walz to move into St. Paul mansion after UMN President Gabel moves out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

The riverside St. Paul mansion that has housed University of Minnesota presidents for the last 62 years is being converted to a rental.Gov. Tim Walz and his family plan to move into the 10,000 square-foot Eastcliff mansion on July 1 while the Governor’s Residence is renovated.The U’s Board of Regents on Monday unanimously approved the arrangement, in which the state will pay the U just $4,400 per month. The lease runs through September 2024, with three one-month options for extension, in case the renovation takes longer than expected.“This is an opportunity to serve the public interest, support the University’s mission and foster positive relationships with our state partners,” said Myron Frans, senior vice president of finance and operations.The state previously arranged for Walz to rent a home on Sunfish Lake for $17,000 a month, a number criticized by some lawmakers. It’ll cost the state $51,000 to break that lease, but they’ll save money over the life of the Eastcliff deal.Eastc...

NYS Legislature approves newly redrawn assembly map

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- New York state lawmakers voted on the Assembly redistricting map that was sent to them last week from the Independent Redistricting Commission. The map passed in both the Senate and Assembly. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The lines are very similar to ones already in place. "The single most effected district was the 101st. We called it the snake district; some called it an abomination. But it was a very, very long, thin district that reached from as far as southern New York near Westchester, all the way up to the Syracuse area. Some places or many places only a single town wide,” explained Charles Nesbitt, Vice Chairman of the Independent Redistricting Commission.Assemblymembers will run under the new districts in the upcoming 2024 election.

Fulton County DA says charges could come as soon as July in election interference probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) told law enforcement officers Monday she plans to announce indictments in her probe into interference into the 2020 election as early as July, requesting “heightened security and preparedness in the coming months.”The letter, first reported by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, is one of the latest progress updates on a probe centered on former President Trump’s effort to block President Biden’s victory in the state since Willis in January said charging decisions would be imminent.Willis said she will announce any indictment between July 11 and September 1, noting that an announcement in the case is likely to spur “significant public reaction.”Willis’s case could be far reaching, with prior interviews with the grand jury forewoman noting its final report suggested multiple indictments.While Trump was never interviewed in connection with the probe, his former attorney Rudy Giuliani was informed he was a target of the investigation, as we...

R&B groups Dru Hill, Jodeci, and SWV coming to St. Louis this summer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The 2023 Summer Block Party has been announced, and it features some of the biggest names in R&B. Groups Dru Hill, Jodeci, and SWV will perform at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre on Tuesday, August 15. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 28, at 10:00 a.m.The three groups have sold millions of records dating back to the 1990s. Summer Block Party Tour Schedule:7/28 Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion7/29 Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena7/30 Greensboro, NC - White Oak Amphitheatre at Greensboro Coliseum Complex8/4 Brooklyn, NY - Coney Island Amphitheater8/5 Bridgeport, CT - Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater8/6 Philadelphia, PA - The Mann Center8/10 Detroit, MI - Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre8/11 Chicago, IL - Arie Crown Theater8/13 Indianapolis, IN - TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park8/15 St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre8/18 Atlanta, GA - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park8/19 Pelham, AL - Oak Mountain Amphitheatre8/20 Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphi...

Jeffco sheriff identifies two additional victims of rock-hurling attacks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

Two additional people say they had rocks hurled at their cars while driving last week in the west metro suburbs.Alexa Bartell, 20 (Provided by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department)The updated victim list comes four days after 20-year-old Alexa Bartell was killed after one or more assailants hurled a rock through the windshield of her car in the 10600 block of Indiana Street in Jefferson County.The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office initially said four people reported rock-throwing incidents in Boulder and Jefferson counties last week.Authorities on Monday afternoon added two more to the list. Both vehicles were traveling southbound on April 19 around 10:30 p.m. on Colorado 93 between Colorado 128 and 72, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.One victim said a rock broke their rear driver’s side window, though the driver was not injured. The second individual was driving behind another vehicle that was also struck, the sheriff’s office said. That d...

Colorado becomes one of first states to offer business loans to cannabis industry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

Colorado became one of the first states in the country to offer business loans to the cannabis industry on Monday.Gov. Jared Polis‘ administration launched the program in an effort to target Colorado’s social-equity licensed cannabis businesses. It will offer loans between $50,000 and $150,000 to go toward renovations, equipment, expansions and more.The program will be treated as a revolving loan fund, with interest returning to it. As a result, the initial $1 million put into the program is predicted to yield $2.9 million over the next decade.The program “will create and retain 239 good-paying jobs and promote equity in the cannabis industry by providing growing businesses access to funding,” Polis said. “I am committed to saving small businesses money and ensuring our state remains a great place to start and run a business in every industry.”Forty states and Washington, D.C, have legalized medical marijuana, but cannabis businesses are hamstrung...