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Even without governor signing, 'dead suspect loophole' will finally close

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:29 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On Sept. 1, Texas' controversial "dead suspect loophole" will finally close, ending a years-long effort to increase transparency when it comes to police records. However, the measure to bring about that change will go into effect without Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's signature.House Bill 30 revises an exemption to the Texas Public Information Act, which gave law enforcement discretion to withhold records in closed criminal cases where a suspect does not go through the court process, including when that person dies. Under the new law, records will no longer be allowed to be kept secret from the public just because a suspect is dead. Law enforcement personnel records related to an incident, however, will remain sealed. EXPLORE: 'DENIED' KXAN investigates the impact of Texas' "dead suspect loophole" Winding path to the governorFollowing Sunday's midnight deadline for Abbott to sign or veto bills from the regular legislative session -- which wrapped three weeks earlie...

Juneteenth closures in Georgetown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:29 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) – The City of Georgetown will close many of its offices Monday in observance of Juneteenth. The city said there will be normal solid waste and recycling collection on Monday.Closed City Offices:Animal Shelter, 110 Walden DriveArt Center, 816 S. Main St.City Hall, 808 Martin Luther King Jr. St.Council and Courts Building (including Municipal Court), 510 W. Ninth St.Georgetown Municipal Complex, 300-1 Industrial Ave.Grace Heritage Center, 817 S. Main St.Parks and Recreation Administration, 1101 N. College St.Planning Department, 809 Martin Luther King Jr. St.Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St.Public Safety Operations and Training Center, Police Records, and Fire Support Services offices, 3500 D.B. Wood RoadRecreation Center, 1003 N. Austin Ave.Tennis Center, 400 Serenada DriveVisitors Center, 103 W. Seventh St.Open City Offices:Airport Terminal, 500 Terminal DriveGarey Park, 6450 RM 2243, will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.Collection Station, 250 W.L. Walden Drive, wi...

Which City of Austin offices, facilities are closed for Juneteenth?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:29 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The City of Austin announced Thursday several administrative offices and public facilities will close in observance of the Juneteenth holiday on Monday. Austin Parks and RecreationCity of Austin Recreation Centers, Senior Centers, Museums and Cultural Centers will be closed on Monday. City parks, playgrounds, tennis centers, and golf courses will be open for their regularly scheduled hours on Monday.Austin Resource RecoveryAustin Resource Recovery administrative offices will be closed on Monday. Curbside services will not be affected by the Juneteenth holiday and the Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center will be open by appointment only. View your collection schedule here.Austin UtilitiesUtility Customer Service Centers (walk-in branches) and Utility Contact Center (call center) will be closed on Monday. Utility bill payments can be made here. Other ways to pay can be found here.Austin Public HealthAustin Public Health testing and vac...

Info meetings set on potential Stillwater schools bond referendum, Lake Elmo and Bayport buildings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:29 GMT

The Stillwater Area Public School District is considering a $175 million bond referendum to fund construction projects to address growth in the southern and central part of the district and improve safety at schools throughout the district.Recent projections show that the district’s K-12 enrollment will grow by more than 300 students in the next 5 years, and by nearly 1,000 students in the next 10 years, said Carissa Keister, the district’s chief of staff and executive director of strategic communications.“That is extraordinary (growth) for us,” she said. “We’ve been in a stable but slight decline over the past few years, so this is a pretty significant increase.”The proposed bond referendum would help the district add capacity in the communities serving Andersen Elementary in Bayport and Lake Elmo Elementary, the two oldest schools in the district, and construct additional classroom space and a new gymnasium at Oak-Land Middle School in Lake Elmo. It also would be used for sa...

Granville man sentenced to over 10 years for cocaine distribution

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:29 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Granville man was sentenced to just over ten years in prison on Friday for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to sell over 5 kilograms of cocaine and more. Victor Vasquez, 48, pleaded guilty before his sentencing. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Vasquez admitted that between November 2018 and September 2019, he obtained at least 5 kilograms of cocaine from a New York City-based drug supplier that he sold to cocaine redistributors in the Northern District of New York.The DOJ says Vasquez also admitted possessing multiple firearms in a shed behind his house to protect over one kilogram of cocaine. Vasquez will serve a four-year term of supervised release once he gets out of prison.

Ask Amy: Grandmother’s long-term patience pays off

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:29 GMT

Dear Readers: Like you, I’m often curious about what happens to the advice I offer once it leaves my desk, and so I’ve asked readers to send in “updates” to let all of us know how my advice was received, if it was followed, and how things turned out.The responses have flowed in, and I’m interested and often gratified to learn what impact this experience has had on readers.This year I celebrate my 20th year of writing this column. Publishing these updates reminds me that we have been through a lot over these past decades. Some of these updates read like postcards from old friends, and I’m happy to share them.(It’s important to understand that most of these updates offer a positive outcome. I assume this is because when things go well, people are more willing to share their experience.)To refresh all of our memories, I’m running the original Q&A, followed by the update.Dear Amy: My 14-year-old granddaughter and I have become estranged. Her parents split up after 14 years of living...

'Vucic out': Serbian protesters keep heat on government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:29 GMT

Serbians paraded life-size figures of leading government figures in prison jumpsuits on Saturday (17 June) during a seventh week of protests since two mass shootings triggered nationwide protests.In the capital Belgrade, tens of thousands of demonstrators blocked a major highway and demanded that government heads roll for permitting a culture of violence they said was to blame for the killings of 18 people on 3 May and 4 May.In the first such coordinated events of the protest campaign, marchers also blocked streets in Novi Sad in the north, Nis in the south and Kragujevac in central Serbia."Vucic out!" chanted the crowd in Belgrade, referring to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, as his likeness was paraded alongside that of Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and other prominent figures in black-and-white jail garb.The protesters also demanded the resignation of Serbia's interior minister Bratislav Gasic and secret service chief Aleksandar Vulin whom they blame for failing to stop gangs.Ac...

Three-bedroom home sells in Palo Alto for $4.3 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:29 GMT

1424 Harker Avenue – Google Street ViewThe spacious historic property located in the 1400 block of Harker Avenue in Palo Alto was sold on June 1, 2023. The $4,330,000 purchase price works out to $1,982 per square foot. The house, built in 1905, has an interior space of 2,185 square feet. The property features three bedrooms, three bathrooms, an attached garage, and one parking space. It sits on a 6,909-square-foot lot, which also has a pool.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:On Greenwood Avenue, Palo Alto, in August 2022, a 2,472-square-foot home was sold for $3,960,000, a price per square foot of $1,602. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,383-square-foot home on the 200 block of Walter Hays Drive in Palo Alto sold in August 2022, for $3,250,000, a price per square foot of $2,350. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In September 2022, a 2,051-square-foot home on Channing Avenue in Palo Alto sold for $4,275,000, a price per square foot of $2,...

Drivers agree that Palou’s 74-point IndyCar lead isn’t insurmountable

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:29 GMT

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (AP) — Alex Palou isn’t taking anything for granted and his competitors aren’t conceding a thing.But someone’s going to have to make a heck of a charge in the second half of the season to prevent Palou from winning his second IndyCar Series championship in three years.Palou has won three of the last four IndyCar events and owns a 74-point lead over Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson as the season approaches its midway point. That’s the biggest advantage anyone’s had eight races into the season since 2020, when Scott Dixon led the rest of the field by 117 points at this stage.“Yeah, I’m glad that we have those points in our camp and we don’t have to catch other people, but I’m not relaxed by the points gap at all because it’s IndyCar,” Palou said after winning Sunday at Road America. “If it was another series, yeah, maybe I would be a bit more relaxed. In IndyCar, you can’t.”The 2020 season provides evidence of that.Dixon seemed ready to breeze to the cha...

Reds’ streak leaves them on doorstep of first place in NL Central

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:29 GMT

Elly De La Cruz’s arrival gave fans in Cincinnati a reason to be hopeful about the future.Then the Reds started looking like they might be contenders — right now.It helps that they play in the NL Central, where everyone is one great week away from challenging for the division lead. And after eight straight victories, the Reds are only a half-game behind first-place Milwaukee. Cincinnati finished the week by sweeping a three-game series on the road against defending champion Houston. The Reds haven’t had a winning streak this long since 2012.Cincinnati is 10-2 since De La Cruz’s big league debut June 6. The 21-year-old shortstop already has six stolen bases to go with his .273 average. Jonathan India, the National League Rookie of the Year in 2021, has reached double figures in both homers and steals, giving the Reds an exciting young infield tandem.Although the mediocrity in the NL Central — where the top four teams are separated by only four games — is one reason ...