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Travis County paid $18M in sheriff's office overtime last year, may consider raising officer pay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:01 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Battling high corrections officer vacancies, Travis County commissioners may look at raising officer pay before the next budget. On Tuesday, county commissioners asked county staff to bring back a budget adjustment proposal in 30 days to increase officer pay and also approved a yearlong extension of an overtime incentives program to encourage overtime use and retain employees.Commissioners and county staff talked about the need to increase correctional officer pay to lower vacancies and compete with neighboring counties. The county reported 263 corrections officer vacancies in March 2023—a 129% increase from March 2022. There are also increased year-over-year vacancy numbers in the law enforcement and courthouse security departments. The county spent $18 million on sheriff's office overtime pay in fiscal year 2022. A number that was alarming for some county commissioners at the Tuesday meeting. “Clearly, the vacancies are the real problem and I think we need to addre...

Allergy season getting worse in these Texas cities, study finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:01 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – That extra head congestion you’ve been feeling lately may not all be in your head, so to speak.A new report on seasonal allergies found the growing season has lengthened by more than two weeks, on average, nationwide. A longer growing season means more days of sniffles, sneezes and headaches for allergy sufferers.Climate Central, an organization of scientists and journalists focused on studying the impacts of climate change and warming global temperatures, analyzed temperature data from 203 U.S. cities since 1970. They found allergy season is worsening in at least eight Texas metro areas. Texas allergens you may be forgetting about El Paso saw the biggest shift — the allergy season there has grown 50 days longer over the past 52 years, according to the report. The Texas cities where allergy season has grown the most since 1970, according to Climate Central, are:El Paso: 50 days longerDallas-Fort Worth: 21 days longerSherman: 20 days longerTyler: 18 days...

Boyz II Men and Chaka Khan to share the stage at Minnesota State Fair Grandstand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:01 GMT

Two retro R&B acts – Boyz II Men and Chaka Khan – will share the stage at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on Aug. 27.Tickets are priced from $51 to $34 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Etix or by phone at 800-514-3849.Boyz II Men stood as one of the biggest groups of the ’90s. They broke out in 1991 with the singles “Motownphilly” and “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.” They scored a worldwide hit with 1992’s “End of the Road,” which held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts for a record 13 weeks. They then topped that with “I’ll Make Love to You” (14 weeks) and their Mariah Carey duet “One Sweet Day” (16 weeks).By the end of the ’90s, Boyz II Men’s chart success had come to an end, but they’ve continued to tour and release new music.Chicago native Chaka Khan rose to fame in the ’70s as the lead singer of the funk band Rufus. The group’s hits in...

Judge rules Pence must testify before grand jury, sources say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:01 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that former Vice President Mike Pence will have to testify before a grand jury in the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.That’s according to two people familiar with the ruling, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it remains under seal.The people said, however, that Pence would not have to answer questions about his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump’s supporters violently stormed the building as Pence was presiding over a joint session of Congress to certify the vote.Pence and his attorneys had cited constitutional grounds in challenging the subpoena. They argued that, because he was serving in his capacity as president of the Senate that day, he was protected from being forced to testify under the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause, which is intended to protect members of Congress from ...

Queensbury man arrested following drug investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:01 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Monday, the Warren County Sheriff's Office arrested a Queensbury man following a drug investigation. Alfred T. Allen, 52, was charged with two counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The Warren County Narcotics Enforcement Unit conducted multiple controlled drug buy operations, during which Allen sold crack cocaine to law enforcement. Allen was arraigned at the Queensbury Court and remanded to the Warren County Correctional Facility where he was already incarcerated on an unrelated matter.

They are here! Find Girl Scout Cookies near you

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:01 GMT

(WSYR-TV) -- Everyone's favorite guilty pleasure is back: Girl Scout Cookies! If you didn't pre-order your own cookies with a Girl Scout but are waiting for them to set up shop at a location near you, you're in luck! You'll be able to find them this weekend, April 1 through April 23! Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! They are selling for five dollars a box. You can use the Girl Scout's Cookie Finder by entering your zip code and it will then lead you to all of the stands in your area!This year's cookie flavors include:Raspberry Rally® (NEW)Credit: Girl ScoutsCaramel Chocolate ChipCredit: Girl ScoutsDo-si-dos®Credit: Girl ScoutsLemonades®Credit: Girl ScoutsPeanut Butter Patties® | Tagalongs®Credit: Girl ScoutsToast-Yay!™Credit: Girl ScoutsAdventurefuls™Credit: Girl ScoutsCaramel deLites® | Samoas®Credit: Girl ScoutsGirl Scout S'mores®Credit: Girl ScoutsLemon-Ups® Credit: Girl ScoutsThin Mints®Credit: Girl ScoutsToffee-tas...

Tons of beef shipped to NY and other states recalled over E. coli

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:01 GMT

(WKBN) — The Department of Agriculture announced that about 3,436 pounds of boneless beef chuck were recalled. Elkhorn Valley Packing boneless beef chuck product could be contaminated with E. coli, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said Friday. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The USDA said the recalled items—which may be contaminated with by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O103—were shipped to Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The affected beef, which was packed on February 16, went to distributors, retailers and wholesalers, as well as hotels, restaurants, and other "institutions," the USDA said.The issue came to light during routine FSIS testing of ground beef derived from the meat. The USDA said that, so far, there have been no confirmed reports of illness or other adverse reactions. A complete list of serial numbers for impa...

What to know for the 2023 St. Louis Cardinals home opener

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:01 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A tradition like none other is almost here: Opening Day for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals begin their 2023 season Thursday at Busch Stadium with the home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. First pitch for the new season is set for 3:10 p.m. Tens of thousands are expected to gather around Downtown St. Louis to celebrate. Upwards of 48,000 lucky fans have a chance to fill up the stadium. Others may enjoy the festivities from Ballpark Village, local sports bars or other destinations around downtown. Even if you're not planning to attend the game, there is plenty to enjoy around Opening Day. Here's a brief look on what to expect. RELATED - Cardinals end spring training with best record, possible Opening Day lineup Opening Day pep rallyRise and shine! The party begins early at Ballpark Village. Fans have a chance to enjoy the Opening Day pep rally from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday. The pep rally is free for anyone to attend. Fredbird, Team Fredbird, DJ Todd...

Guilty plea: St. Louis woman admits bank and pandemic loan fraud

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:01 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis woman appeared in federal court Monday and admitted to committing bank fraud and pandemic loan fraud in 2021 and 2022.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Nikia French, 30, recruited people on the social media app Instagram to let her use their bank accounts. French would create counterfeit checks, deposit them into said accounts, then withdraw the money before the bank noticed the checks were no good.French ran her scam between February and April 2022. She deposited more than $73,000 in checks, and withdrew more than $34,000 in cash. Top Stories: Kim Gardner gets extra time to respond to A.G.’s lawsuit In April 2021, French submitted a pair of Paycheck Protection Program loan applications, asking for a total of $23,000. She identified as self-employed, but lied about her gross income and submitted fake documents to conceal her fraud. She also lied about not being convicted of a felony involving fraud.She'd p...

Survey on Broncos stadium possibilities one step toward decision, but “It’s early in the process”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:01 GMT

PHOENIX — The Broncos recently ramped up their survey efforts as they continue through a long process that ultimately will lead to a decision about whether to build a new stadium.The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group started touring stadiums during the season and is keeping tabs on building projects around the NFL, as well.The survey season-ticket holders received recently included questions about the preferred location of a new stadium, what’s important about the game day experience, how far people are willing to travel, if they’d prefer a permanent roof, retractable roof, canopy or no roof and a raft of other queries. That wider survey came after Denver talked with 112 focus group participants and 34 club partners as a starting point. So far, team president Damani Leech said the team has about 7,000 completed surveys and the resulting data is slated to be finalized in about a month.“It’s early in the process, gathering information, really want to know what fans think across a v...