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Officials celebrate completion of SH 71 Colorado River bridge project

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Officials in Central Texas on Thursday celebrated the completion of a major transportation project that improved the corridor connection Austin and Bastrop. The Texas Department of Public Safety, or TxDOT, was joined by state, county, and local representatives at a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of the State Highway 71 at the Colorado River bridge project. During the project, nine bridges were constructed, a new westbound exit ramp across the river was added, and a new eastbound entrance ramp at the Union Pacific Railroad was added, according to TxDOT. "SH 71 serves as a major corridor for motorists traveling to and from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and the city of Bastrop. With the continued growth in this area, these improvements enhance safety and address congestion for all modes of transportation along SH 71," TxDOT said in a release about the project completion. View details about the project in TxDOT's fact sheet below. sh-71-colorado-riv...

New podcast dives into all of the Austin Public Library's non-book offerings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- While libraries are community spaces that encourage literacy, there are more non-book offerings than meet the eye at the Austin Public Library.Austin's public library system will premiere season two of its podcast series "APL Volumes" Sept. 27. The second season will focus on all of the non-literature items available for use through APL: from tools and board games available to rent, to craft supplies and seeds residents can come use. RELATED: Things you didn’t know you could check out at the library "We're talking about our zine collection, our gaming, gardening, different music, crafts, cooking," said Leticia Leal, a youth program specialist at APL's Central library branch and host of the podcast's second season. "And that's all the amazing resources that the library has that we're so excited to share with everybody."Why a podcast? Leal said it's a great medium and tool to reach people from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. When it came to crafting th...

White Bear Township man pleads guilty in woman’s fentanyl overdose death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:17 GMT

A White Bear Township man has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder for selling pills that contained fentanyl and caused a woman to overdose and die.Jesse Russell Lietzau, 25, made the plea on Wednesday, the same day he was scheduled to go on trial for the woman’s May 2021 death in a Richfield hotel room. A plea agreement that Lietzau reached with Hennepin County prosecutors calls for a stayed seven-year prison term and a jail sentence capped at 240 days, court records show. Sentencing was set for Nov. 15.Jesse Russell Lietzau (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)According to the criminal complaint, on May 16 police responded to a hotel on the 350 block of West 77th Street in Richfield on a report of a woman who was unconscious and not breathing.Police found the woman lying on a bed with a pool of blood under her face and mouth. She was declared dead at the scene. The Hennepin County medical examiner said her cause of death was acute fentanyl toxicity.Police spoke w...

Kamala Harris announces start of process to remove medical debt from people’s credit scores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:17 GMT

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that the Biden administration is taking the first steps toward removing medical bills from people’s credit scores, which could improve ratings for millions of people.Harris said that would make it easier for them to obtain an auto loan or a home mortgage. Roughly one in five people report having medical debt. The vice president said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is beginning the rulemaking process to make the change.The agency said in a statement that including medical debt in credit scores is problematic because “mistakes and inaccuracies in medical billing are common.”“Access to health care should be a right and not a privilege,” Harris told reporters in call to preview the action. “These measures will improve the credit scores of millions of Americans so that they will better be able to invest in their future.”The announcement comes after a long push by the Biden administration to minimize the importance of medica...

Clifton Park man sentenced for burglary, grand larceny

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:17 GMT

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Halfmoon man arrested in February for multiple thefts will serve time in prison. Casey R. Mohan, 36, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and grand larceny in the fourth degree on July 19. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Mohan was sentenced to three and a half years of incarceration and five years of post-release supervision for the burglary charge. He was then sentenced to one and a third year to four years for the grand larceny charge. The sentences will run concurrently. Mohan was initially arrested following an investigation into multiple thefts. Mohan was accused of stealing two motor vehicles, a motorcycle, and two long guns. He was also accused of stealing a snowblower from a Lowe's Home Improvement.

TSA recruiting officers for Albany International Airport

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:17 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Transportation Security Administration is looking to hire officers to work at Albany International Airport. There are openings for both full- and part-time positions with a starting salary of $47,047. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The TSA will be at the following job fairs:Albany Job Fair on Wednesday, Oct. 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Suite B at the Holiday Inn Express located at 400 Old Loudon Road, Latham, N.Y. Get Hired Job Fair on Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Crossgates Mall located at 1 Crossgates Mall Road, Albany, N.Y.Capital District Educational Opportunity Center Job Fair (a division of the Hudson Valley Community College) on Thursday, Oct. 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. located at 431 River Street, Troy, N.Y.“The TSA is an agency that protects our national security, and it is staffed by well-trained and professional officers who ensure the millions of passengers who...

White House extends temporary protective status for Venezuelan migrants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:17 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)---According to the federal government, nearly 500,000 people from Venezuela living in the United States on or before July 31st, 2023 will be eligible to apply for temporary protective status.Marlene Galaz, director of immigrant rights policy with NY immigration coalition SOT: "Temporary Protective Status provides people with protections from detention and deportation and it also allows people to have access to work permits," explained Marlene Galaz, Director of Immigrant Rights Policy with New York Immigration Coalition.Those with temporary protective status can legally work 30 days after filing their application, while others just arriving have to wait a total of 180 days to earn a paycheck. Speeding up this process is something the governor has said repeatedly will help the situation here in New York State."This work permit is huge because it will allow them to use their own skills and to be able to work in what is of interest to them as well, instead of havi...

New York State Sheep and Wool Festival returns to Rhinebeck

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:17 GMT

RHINEBECK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The New York State Sheep and Wool Festival will be returning to Rhinebeck in October. The event will be held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds on October 21 and 22. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The annual festival will host a series of livestock competitions and showcases. Crafts will be available from a vast range of vendors, and attendees will be able to partake in a plethora of workshops, including shearing, weaving, knitting and felting. The Dutchess County Fairgrounds is located at 6550 Spring Brook Avenue. You can buy Sheep and Wool Festival tickets and register for individual events by visiting the festival's website.

Escaped prisoner wanted: Who is Tommy Wayne Boyd?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:17 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A manhunt is underway in the St. Louis region for Tommy Wayne Boyd, a prisoner who escaped from custody Thursday morning at Mercy South Hospital and considered a "dangerous" person by authorities. Before his escape, Tommy Wayne Boyd was imprisoned at the Missouri Department of Corrections site in Potosi, Missouri. Authorities say Boyd is a convicted child sex offender. According to Missouri court records, Boyd has conviction in two cases, initially investigated in 1996 and 2007. A jury convicted him of enticement of a child in November 2007, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison over that charge. Court records linked both of his cases to Greene County, Missouri, in the Springfield metropolitan area. Boyd is also listed in the Missouri State Highway Patrol's sex offender registry list as a Tier Level 3 offender, a designation that is only given to people convicted of sex offenses that "pose a significant risk to public safety." These designations may come...

School districts execute security protocols after prisoner escapes Mercy South Hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:17 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – The Mehlville and Lindbergh school districts enacted security measures after a convicted sex offender escaped from Mercy South Hospital Thursday morning.At the recommendation of the St. Louis County Police Department, the Mehlville School District placed its schools into what’s known as a secure action—all doors were locked and students remained in campus buildings.Schools in the Lindbergh district, like Kennerly Elementary, which is located across the street from Mercy South, were placed on lockout. The school district received information about the situation just before 7 a.m., after bus routes for middle and high school had already begun.Dr. Tony Lake, the superintendent of schools, reached out to parents and families via email. City leaders want to reclaim Famous Barr building after owners stop paying for security For afternoon dismissal, they are working with local law enforcement to increase security with law enforcement present. Students are urged to...