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City of Austin could reopen downtown Salvation Army homeless shelter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After the Salvation Army announced it was permanently closing its homeless shelter downtown, which dedicated beds to women and children, the City of Austin is working to lease the space from the nonprofit and make the beds available again. This week, Austin City Council will vote on a one-year agreement with the Salvation Army to lease the space starting July 1. It would cost the city roughly $1.2 million, a large chunk of which will come from the Austin Public Health budget, according to council documents. Another resolution could expand the city's contract with Urban Alchemy, the group that runs the ARCH shelter nearby, to include operating and providing social services at the Salvation Army shelter. PREVIOUS: Salvation Army downtown shelter to close doors The currently empty shelter sits in District 9 near the Austin Police headquarters in Council Member Zohaib Qadri's district. "The city needs more shelter capacity. We have about 4,000-5,000 unhoused folks i...

Travis County Constable urges Gov. Abbott to veto vehicle inspection bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:24 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Travis County Constable Stacy Suits on Monday urged Gov. Greg Abbott to veto a bill that would end the annual vehicle inspection requirement in Texas, citing concerns over road safety and air quality."This is a dangerous bill that does not ensure safety for all Texans," Precinct 3 Constable Suits said in a formal letter to the governor. "Law enforcement needs every available tool to help detect and combat fraudulent activity to ensure the safety of ALL Texans, and a valid motor vehicle safety inspection is one of those tools." Texas passes bill eliminating mandatory vehicle inspections Suits joined other law enforcement officials who testified against the bill during the legislative session. Opponents outnumbered supporters 16 to 5 when House Bill 3297 was up for public testimony in the Texas Senate last month. Travis County Constable's Office Sgt. Joe Escribano joined Suits to testify against it.“The first line of defense for the safety of our fellow Texans is...

FDA to require prescriptions for livestock antibiotics, aiming to stop drug-resistant bacteria

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:24 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Texas farmers and ranchers will soon need to obtain a veterinarian's prescription before treating their livestock with common medications.The Food and Drug Administration's latest rule goes into effect June 11 and aims to stop the spread of antimicrobial resistance between animals and humans. The FDA called that "a serious threat to animal and public health" in a detailed explanation of their guidance for farmers and ranchers.The concern, put simply, is that bacterial resistance to antibiotics could spread from livestock to humans through the meat humans consume."Over the last decade or so, the Food and Drug Administration has really been concerned about the transfer of antibiotic-resistant bacteria out of the food chain and food-producing animals back into the human medical side," Dr. Ron Gill said, a livestock specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. "There's really not any real evidence that that's occurring. But this is just an abundance of c...

MN Attorney General sues St. Paul’s largest downtown property owner for worker overtime pay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:24 GMT

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed a lawsuit against Madison Equities, downtown St. Paul’s largest property owner, alleging that the company deprived security officers of mandatory overtime wages by having them punch in and out of separate subsidiary companies associated with its buildings.The 31-page lawsuit, filed Monday in Ramsey County District Court, also maintains that the property management company retaliated against one of six workers who raised whistleblower concerns about the practice.The attorney general office’s efforts to obtain payroll data and other documentation were stymied by rounds of legal objections from Madison Equities, which rose to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The state’s highest court sided with the attorney general’s office in December 2021, sending the case back to the district court for supplemental data requests.“We initially announced an investigation in the fall of 2019. Instead of complying with the civi...

Air quality alert extended into Tuesday for Twin Cities, other areas of the state

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:24 GMT

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has extended an air quality alert through 6 p.m. Tuesday for the Twin Cities as well as other areas of the state.The air quality index was orange — indicating that air may be “unhealthy for sensitive groups” including those with asthma, heart disease or diabetes. Additionally, those who work or exercise outdoors or keep windows open should be cautious along with children and older adults. An orange index also means that the sky may look hazy and there may be a smell of smoke.The alert is in response to smoke particles coming from wildfires in Quebec, Canada, on Friday and Saturday. The wind is moving from the east because of a high pressure area over Lake Superior moving air through Michigan and Wisconsin into Minnesota.Smoke particules can irritate the body when they enter the lungs and can cause inflammation. Those with preexisting conditions may notice short term issues including asthma symptoms, shortness of breath and coughing. For o...

Health reminder after illnesses: If you’re feeling sick, don’t go swimming

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:24 GMT

Dozens of people who swam in Schulze Lake in Dakota County have become ill with a suspected norovirus infection, health officials said Monday.The Minnesota Department of Health has received more than 60 reports of people ill after swimming at Schulze Lake at Lebanon Hills Regional Park over the past three days, according to Trisha Robinson, waterborne disease supervisor at the department. Health officials are still figuring out exactly what pathogen caused the illness, “but the symptoms and incubation period are consistent with norovirus infection.”“These types of germs can spread quickly and widely if people who are or have recently been ill swim in the same water with others,” Robinson said. “It’s critical that people stay out of any water until at least 72 hours after symptoms go away so we can stop the spread of the virus.”She explained that “very small amounts of virus can be left on people’s bottoms, who then go in the water, and people nearby can ingest the ...

Troy PD searching for vulnerable adult

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:24 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Troy Police Department is searching for a developmentally disabled adult, who may be in need of medical attention. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Michael Hart, 55, was last seen around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 3 on Marvin Avenue in the city of Troy. He was last seen wearing a green work t-shirt, black work boots, a black baseball hat, a gray hand brace, a blue and orange bookbag, and a wallet with a chain. He is described as 5'9" tall, 220 lbs., with gray hair and blue eyes. He also has a tattoo of a wolf on his arm.Anyone who sees him is asked to call either 911 or Troy police at (518) 270-4411. 

Bus driver shortages continue to affect schools, one system takes new approach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:24 GMT

WENTZVILLE, Mo. - From Wentzville to St. Louis, schools are facing a stressful number of bus driver vacancies. In the Wentzville School District Transportation Department, a new approach is helping to fill some of those vacancies.When you think about driving a 40-foot piece of equipment with nearly 80 passenger seats, it can be stressful. Kim Boix and her team at the Wentzville School District Transportation Department say it can be intimidating.“It takes a special kind of person to drive a bus," Boix said.Now director of the department, Boix started out as a bus driver. With a passion for students' safety, it's why several on her team have stepped up to the job.“It’s a big responsibility, but the kids are wonderful," said Jeff Rascher, a long-time bus driver.More recently, he started training others. Free Trip Tuesday heads to Giant City State Park with Shawnee Forest Country! “When we don’t have enough bus drivers to go around, me and Randy will go on routes," Rascher said.Due t...

Newsom calls DeSantis ‘small, pathetic man’ over new migrant flights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:24 GMT

Gov. Ron DeSantis has restarted controversial migrant flights to other states, according to California’s attorney general, but this time that state’s rival governor is threatening to slap Florida officials with kidnapping charges for doing it.“Ron DeSantis, you small, pathetic man,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a tweet Monday, which included a link to the California statute on abduction by force or fraud. “This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard,” he added, comparing it with the September incident.The flights are resuming just as DeSantis begins his campaign for the White House, which former GOP U.S. Rep. David Jolly of Florida, now an MSNBC news analyst, said was no coincidence.The Republican governor “has shown us that he’s willing to take official actions from the governor’s office that ultimately are done to support his presidential ambitions,” said Jolly, a co-founder of the Forward Party. “And the migrant flights are a perfect example.”Eight months after previous Florida-funded ...

Family of man killed in Colorado Springs says police got 911 call an hour before homicide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:24 GMT

The family of a 32-year-old man killed in Colorado Springs on Friday says it took police an hour to respond to a hostage situation that turned deadly.Just after 2 p.m. Friday, Colorado Springs police officers found Qualin Campbell and another individual dead near 1500 South Nevada Avenue.But the family, in a news release Monday, says Campbell’s wife, Talija, called 911 nearly an hour earlier to report that her husband had been taken hostage.“911. Send Please!” Campbell texted his wife, according to messages provided by Talija Campbell’s attorneys. The messages also included a photo of his alleged hostage-taker.Despite the pleas, officers didn’t respond for nearly an hour, attorneys Harry Daniels and Chantel Cherry-Lassiter said.“The Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County can make all the excuses they want, but the facts are simple,” Daniels and Cherry-Lassiter said in a statement. “This was a hostage situation where Qualin Campbell was begging ...