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Auto theft is on the rise in Austin, stolen vehicles being used in felonies says APD

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department held a press conference Monday warning people about a rise in auto theft.Auto thefts have increased 13% from last year, and data shows there have been 1,979 since April. Class action lawsuit filed against Kia, Hyundai over viral thefts APD says Kia and Hyundai models are being targeted the most because of a Tik Tok trend that shows how to start the car without a key. Most of the people being arrested in these cases are juveniles, APD said."I have been in auto thefts the last three years, and auto thefts have been going up every single year," said APD officer Francisco Jimenez.Karen Manson said she went to the Domain for a family outing recently, and after dinner, her son's Ford F-250 was nowhere to be found."The crime now is totally out of control," said Manson.Manson says they got a call from San Antonio police a few days later letting them know the truck had been found, but it was gutted. Austin police warn of increase in ‘Kia Chall...

North Dakota’s Amy Olson wins medalist honors at Mendota Heights U.S. Open qualifier

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:52 GMT

North Dakota’s Amy Olson has quite a majors pedigree, something she’ll have a chance to add to in July at Pebble Beach.The 30-year-old earned medalist honors at Monday’s U.S. Open qualifier event at Somerset Country Club in Mendota Heights with a 36-hole score of 6-under par.The other qualifying spot went to Bailey Tardy, who topped Jennifer Chang in a playoff after both golfers finished with two-round scores of 4-under par. Tardy won the playoff with a birdie on the fourth playoff hole.Olson has twice finished in a tie for second at major championships — the Evian Championship in 2018 and the 2020 U.S. Open. She was three back of a qualifying spot after her first round Monday, where she fired an even-par round of 72.But Olson — who’s currently the 334th-ranked player in the world and has just one LPGA Tour start this season — turned in a 66 to out-pace the field in Round 2. The women’s U.S. Open is slated for July 6-9 in Pebble Beach,...

White Bear Lake police chief to retire after more than two decades with the department

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:52 GMT

Longtime White Bear Lake Police Chief Julie Swanson will retire later this summer, the city recently announced.Swanson, who has been chief since 2014 and a member of the police department for 23 years, will retire Aug. 25.White Bear Lake Police Chief Julie Swanson is set to retire later this summer after serving with the department for 23 years. (Photo courtesy of White Bear Lake)During her time with the department, Swanson also served as a DARE instructor, field training officer, school resource officer, sergeant and captain.“The White Bear Lake community has encapsulated every aspect of my life,” she said in a statement. “We all agree that this is a community like no other, and I have had the fortune to serve it in a capacity that I never envisioned (when she moved to the area at age 12).”Swanson, the city said, has been instrumental in shaping the department’s morale, cultivating a team approach to policing and enhancing the department’s commun...

Staffing levels left out of final nursing bill as MN Legislature wraps up historic session

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:52 GMT

Facing a lobbying blitz from the Mayo Clinic and other hospitals Minnesota Democrats said Monday they only had the votes to pass a watered-down nurse staffing and safety bill.The Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act that would have given nurses a say in staffing levels was replaced with the Nurse and Patient Safety Act, which aims to reduce workplace violence without creating committees to oversee staffing levels.It is expected to be one of the final bills to be approved by the Legislature.It was a somewhat sour note for DFLers at the end of a legislative session that was historic by political and financial measures.DFLers pass their prioritiesDemocratic-Farmer-Labor Party members, with a narrow majority in both chambers, and Gov. Tim Walz enacted a progressive agenda with billions in new spending and taxes. Republicans had little recourse to stop Democrats plans after losing their narrow edge in the Senate during the 2022 election.The roughly $72 billion two-year budget Democrats pass...

City and school officials eye Barker’s Alps Park as possible site of new Bayport elementary school

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:52 GMT

The city of Bayport started leasing the area now known as Barker’s Alps Park from the state in the 1970s and purchased the 48-acre parcel in 1985.The land, formerly part of the Minnesota State prison farm lands, was “dedicated and set aside for park and recreational purposes,” according to the city ordinance that was enacted on May 6, 1985.Now, officials with Stillwater Area Public Schools are wondering whether the land — which is home to wooded hiking trails, a playground, picnic shelter, soccer fields and baseball and softball fields — could become the new home of Andersen Elementary School.City and school district officials plan to hold a public meeting in June to gauge public interest in such a plan, said Bayport Mayor Michele Hanson, who serves on the school district’s facilities planning team.“I just feel like it would be a huge, huge hole in our community to not have a school here,” Hanson said. “We need (residents) to understand that we can’t keep it ...

New fitness court studio construction underway

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:52 GMT

GUILDERLAND, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A groundbreaking took place on a new fitness court studio project. It is a partnership among Albany County, MVP Health Care, and the National Fitness Campaign. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The new, outdoor fitness court studio will be located at Tawasentha Park in the town of Guilderland. The space will be 2,000 sq. ft. and will have exercise equipment as well as additional space for exercise classes.Workouts at the fitness court studio are adaptable for all fitness levels and allow users to move at their own pace. Users can also download the Fitness Court app. Free to use, this will be the first Fitness Court Studio in the state.Construction is expected to be completed in June.

Community provides input on new Fonda-Fultonville mascot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:52 GMT

FONDA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Fonda-Fultonville Central School District is taking the next steps to change their mascot. The district held a meeting Monday night with the community to discuss what the new mascot name will be.The district previously contacted the state to try to keep the Braves name and rebrand their logo, but the state declined the idea. Monday's meeting was to kick-off community suggestions for a new name. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Suggestions will be allowed until Friday, June 23."As this process has unfolded, I have had tremendous conversations with all different folks and groups of people across the community," Superintendent Thomas Ciaccio said. "Just very pleased with how we handle any adverse thing that happens at Fonda-Fultonville."The district said they hope to have a new name and logo by the 2024-2025 school year.

Public hearing on proposed toll hike held in Glenmont

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:52 GMT

GLENMONT, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A public hearing took place at Glenmont Elementary School on Monday to discuss possible toll adjustments across New York State. The state Thruway Authority Board of Directors began the toll adjustment process in December 2022. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! No changes to tolls will take place this year, but they could happen in 2024. Toll rates would rise by about three cents to 8.6 cents for both E-Z Pass and Toll by Mail users. Monday night's meeting was for the Thruway interim executive director to hear public comment and report back on it.This was the fourth of five hearings across the state. The fifth hearing will take place on June 5 on Zoom.

Video captures car crashing into sushi restaurant in Studio City

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:52 GMT

Security video at a popular sushi restaurant in Studio City captured the moment a driver in a white sedan came crashing through the building before coming to a stop in the dining room Monday.  Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to Akira Sushi, located at 11820 W. Ventura Blvd., at around 1:35 p.m. The surveillance camera also showed smoke billowing out of the passenger-side door as a person opens it and climbs out of the vehicle. They are then seen stumbling out of the restaurant.  A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA the motorist, who has yet to be identified, was traveling westbound on Ventura Boulevard when the crash occurred. Police did not say what led up to the crash or if any other vehicles were involved.  Footage from Sky5 shows the vehicle's wreckage as first responders pull it out of Akira Sushi in Studio City on May 22, 2023. (KTLA)A person seen exiting a vehicle shortly after it crashed in Akira Sushi in Stu...

L.A. Metro announces opening date for much-anticipated Regional Connector

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:52 GMT

A public transportation project nearly 10 years in the works will finally open to travelers next month.Los Angeles Metro's Regional Connector will officially welcome riders on June 16, the public transit service announced Monday. In honor of its opening, L.A. Metro will be offering free rides that weekend.The Regional Connector will correct a gap in service and allow for easier and faster travel for those traveling through downtown L.A. on Metro trains.The project allows for riders to travel between Azusa and Long Beach and between East L.A. and Santa Monica without transferring lines. When it opens, it will connect the A and E Lines with the existing L Line with service to Grand Central Station. Previously, the A and E Lines ended at the 7th Street Metro Center Station. The L Line will eventually be phased out and the A and E lines will take over the service offered by the it. Riders on the A Line will have the opportunity to travel from Azusa to Long Beach along the longest light ...