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Texas lawmakers speak on property tax relief plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas state representatives spoke Thursday regarding a plan for property tax relief for all Texans.Rep. Ana-María Ramos joined Rep. John Bryant and other members of the Texas House to discuss the plan.“The agreement delivers significant property tax relief in a fair and equitable plan,” Ramos said in a release.A recap of the 9:30 a.m. news conference is available in the video player below. According to Ramos, Bryant’s plan:Increases the basic allotment by $1,000 and indexes it to inflation, resulting in a permanent increase in teacher salaries of $4,300 per year.Establishes a homestead exemption of the higher of $100,000 or 25% of their home's appraised value, up to a cap of $200,000.Extends tax relief to the 38% of Texas households who rent their homes with a cash rebate of up to 10% of the rent paid in the previous year.Implements a six-cent reduction of school maintenance and operation taxes. A balance between the House and Senate pr...

Volkswagen bringing self-driving vehicle tech to Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Car manufacturer Volkswagen announced Thursday it would roll out self-driving vehicle technology in the Texas capital later in July, per CNBC reporting.Approximately 10 of VW's ID Buzz electric vans will be deployed in Austin by the end of 2023, with the first two vans scheduled to begin testing before the end of the month. The vans utilize autonomous driving systems, developed in coordination with Mobileye. The ID Buzz vans are manufactured with lidar, radar and camera systems to assist the vehicle's self-driving mechanisms. VW officials told CNBC the vehicles will be "geofenced," or operable only in certain areas of Austin that have already been mapped out. During this early testing phase in Austin, all of the self-driving vehicles will feature human drivers on board to oversee the testing. RELATED: General Motors' Cruise to begin rolling out autonomous 'robotaxis' in Austin this spring “We selected Austin as the first U.S. hub, as the city has a track record fo...

Twins prepare for highest draft pick — No. 5 — since Royce Lewis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

It has been more than six months since the day in San Diego that the Twins found out that the ping-pong balls were on their side. An ecstatic Sean Johnson, the Twins’ vice president of amateur scouting, said at the time he had a weird feeling all week that the Twins were going to jump from No. 13 into the top six in the upcoming draft.They did one better.The Twins were the biggest beneficiary of Major League Baseball’s first draft lottery, moving up eight picks to No. 5 in what often has been described as a five-player draft.“We’re excited just to be here,” Johnson said then. “We were picking 13 a few months ago and now we’re up where we’re at. We’re going to try to do the best we can with that opportunity. “Work for the 2023 draft launched into hyperdrive this week as the Twins prepare for the event, which will start Sunday and run through Tuesday. The Twins have three picks in the top 50 (Nos. 5, 34, 49).During this week’s draft meetings, Johnson said, the Twins will dissect each ...

Cobleskill man charged with rape

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

COBLESKILL, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Cobleskill man has been arrested following a sexual assault investigation, according to state police. Robert Whitbeck Jr., 49, faces multiple charges. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On June 4, police received a report of several past occurring sexual assaults. The investigation yielded that Whitbeck Jr. allegedly physically and sexually assaulted a victim multiple times in the fall of 2022 while in Cobleskill and Schoharie. Continued investigation by police determined that Whitbeck Jr. had reportedly violated a full stay-away order of protection 14 times. The court order had been issued against him in December 2022 by the Schoharie County Family Court to protect the victim. Corinth man arrested in home burglary investigation Following the investigation, troopers arrested Whitbeck Jr. on July 1. He faces the following charges:ChargesFirst-degree rapeFirst-degree criminal sexual act2 counts...

Three in custody following attempted armed robbery in Fulton County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

BLEEKER, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- New York State Police arrested three Gloversville suspects following an investigation into an alleged armed robbery on July 4. Two suspects, Tiffany M. Bleyl, 29, and Tyler J. Macklin, 31, were arrested on July 4. Joshua L. Litchfield, 33, was taken into custody on July 5 after fleeing from police on July 4. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! While responding to the report of an armed robbery at a residence in Bleeker, Troopers observed the vehicle that the victim reported traveling on County Highway 6 in Benson. Troopers conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Macklin. Two passengers were identified as Bleyl and Litchfield. Litchfield fled on foot into a nearby wooded area.Police investigations determined that Bleyl and Litchfield entered the reported residence. Litchfield displayed a weapon and demanded money from the victim. The two then fled in a vehicle driven by Macklin. SP: Man...

1 hospitalized after stabbing at Franklin Inn in Troy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to Troy Police, one person was hospitalized after a stabbing at the Franklin Inn in Troy Wednesday night. At this time, no one is in custody. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Police say it appears the incident took place at the hotel with the victim being taken via a private car to the hospital. Police say the suspect fled on foot before their arrival. Stick with NEWS10 as more information regarding the stabbing becomes available.

Rainfall helps firefighters battling Devil’s Thumb fire smoldering northeast of Fraser

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

Rainfall helped firefighters control the Devil’s Thumb fire burning on 95 acres northeast of Fraser in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, which on Thursday morning was deemed 10% contained, according to U.S. Forest Service officials.Lightning likely ignited this fire but the cause remains under investigation, Forest Service officials said in their latest posting on Twitter. Grand County Sheriff officials urged people to avoid the area.#grandcounty #DevilsThumbFire https://t.co/m5loaZjC3W— Grand County Sheriff (@GrandCoSheriff) July 6, 2023No evacuation orders had been issued around Fraser. The fire apparently began Tuesday in the wilderness near the Devil’s Thumb Trailhead, about 7 miles northeast of Fraser. It was burning in forests where mountain pine beetles have killed trees and wind has blown dead trees down to the ground.Forest Service officials declared “a full suppression” approach to the fire, even though it was burning in the wilderness.It is one of...

Opinion: When is hate mail a threat or harassment and when is it free speech?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

“Your (sic) an idiot.” That’s often what passes for thoughtful criticism on social media. Occasionally, though, critics’ opprobrium turns menacing. “It would be a shame if something bad happened to you,” and other variations on that theme, was what I received after my column about crossing a picket line ran, along with pictures of dead rats and people getting beaten up.Such vague threats have arrived by snail mail, as well. In one case involving multiple contacts, I had to contact the police. It’s an occupational hazard for any public figure.Prosecuting threatening speech just got a bit more difficult after last week’s Supreme Court ruling in Counterman v Colorado. As a media commentator and as a target of hostile comments, the ruling elicits mixed feelings.Threats can chill free speech by making targets fearful of expressing opinions. Such speech also pollutes social media and drives decent people away from public forums. On the other hand, prosecution of threatening speech can cre...

George Tickner, Journey co-founder and guitarist, dies at 76

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

George Tickner, the co-founder of Journey and the band's guitarist, has died. Neal Schon, the rock band's co-founding guitarist, made the announcement on Facebook. “Journey Junkies, I have some very sad news. George Tickner, Journey’s original rhythm guitarist and songwriting contributor on their first three albums, has passed away. He was 76 years old.”Schon then continued saying, “Godspeed, George… thank you for the music. We will be paying tribute to you on this page indefinitely. Our condolences to his family and friends, and to all past and present band members. So heartbreaking. I think we need to do a group hug, JJ’s.”He was a member of the San Francisco psychedelic rock band Frumious Bandersnatch before joining Journey. In February 1973, Tickner co-founded Journey with Ross Valory, Gregg Rolie and Schon in San Francisco. However, Tickner left the band after they released their debut album to attend Stanford Medical School on a full scholarship. Journey's commercial success c...

Earth records back-to-back-to-back hottest days ever: What does it mean?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

Earth’s average temperature on Wednesday remained at an unofficial record high set the day before, the latest grim milestone in a week that has seen a series of climate-change-driven extremes.The average global temperature was 17.18 Celsius (62.9 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world’s condition. That matched a record set Tuesday, and came after a previous record of 17.01 Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit) was set Monday.While the figures are not an official government record, “this is showing us an indication of where we are right now,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Sarah Kapnick. And NOAA indicated it will take the figures into consideration for its official record calculations.Scientists generally use much longer measurements — months, years, decades — to track the Earth’s warming, but the daily highs are an indication that ...