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House comes close to allowing Texans to decide on casinos, sports gambling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:21 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas House came close to approving resolutions to expand gambling in the Lone Star State on Wednesday evening, but fell short of the votes needed to advance the constitutional amendments. Since both measures propose to change the Texas Constitution, there's a higher threshold of votes needed for the legislation to pass out of the House, needing support from two-thirds of the members to advance. If both of these proposals eventually pass both chambers, Texas voters will ultimately get to decide whether to legalize casino gambling and sports betting.The sports betting resolution, HJR 102, came just three votes shy of the needed 100 votes to pass. Its author, Rep. Jeff Leach, (R-Plano), said he is "hopeful and expectant" that he will get all 100 votes needed tomorrow. Two members Democratic members who voted "absent" — Reps. Genu Wu and Yvonne Davis — did vote in favor of the casino gambling measure and Speaker Dade Phelan voted present/not voting, which is stan...

Alexandria hospital custodian accused of secretly recording female employees in locker room

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:21 GMT

ALEXANDRIA, Minn. — An Alexandria hospital custodian has been charged with gross misdemeanor interference with privacy after allegedly filming female employees in a women’s locker room.Corey Ray Johns, 34, is accused of recording the women as they changed out of their scrubs in the locker room. The illicit recording at the west-central Minnesota hospital was detected Sunday.According to the statement of probable cause, Johns was employed as a custodian by Alomere Health and left a phone in recording mode pointed at the changing area.Johns allegedly admitted to police that the phone was his and said: “I guess I don’t know how to put it. I’m just a sad human being.”Johns also stated he had recorded in the coed locker room at Alomere, and that this was not his first time secretly recording people in locker rooms, the statement read.Johns stated that he had been recording women since February.After Johns was arrested and transported to the Douglas County jail, staff discovered a p...

Hoosick Falls approves resolution for new water source

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:21 GMT

HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — After nine years, the Board of Trustees approved a long-awaited new water source Wednesday night in Hoosick Falls.Attorney David Engel, Esq. has been helping the village with these efforts from the beginning. In 2014, Engel was litigating against General Electric for dumping PCBs in the Hudson River on behalf of the Town of Halfmoon. His work caught the attention of the group Healthy Hoosick Water. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! “Which was a group founded by Dr. Martin Bartinez and his brother Jim Bartinez, who really made heroic efforts to bring this problem to light,” he said.Michael Hickey was also a part of that group when he tested the water for a year after his father died from cancer. The water test came back showing high levels of PFOA. But for Hickey, it’s not so much of a victory since Dr. Bartinez is now also fighting his own cancer battle.“That takes a little bit of the happiness ...

2023 Tulip Court reception held

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:21 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The 2023 Tulip Queen finalists took part in a reception in Albany on Wednesday. The reception was held at Martel's Restaurant at Capital Hills Golf Course. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Officials said this is the final step in the judging process to determine who will be this year's Tulip Queen. The Tulip Queen will be crowned on Saturday, May 13 during the 75th annual Tulip Festival.

New York recruiters honored by Army General

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:21 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -The National Guard has seen their number of soldiers grow in 2022. In New York, it was the fourth year in a row the state has seen an increase. Military challenge coins were given out to members of the guard who have gone above and beyond to enlist new recruits into the National Guard.New York was the only state to exceed its recruiting goals in 2022. Sgt. Taylor Ogden takes her duties as a recruiter seriously, as the people she recruits become a large part of keeping the country safe. Luther Forest residents against proposed police barracks "I didn't realize the big accomplishment until the end of the year. I was really able to overcome these obstacles and get these people into the military. When you're enlisting somebody, those individuals are going to be helping out your neighbors and family members one day," explained Sgt. Ogden.Army four-star General Dan Hokanson gave out the medals, thanking the recruiters for bringing in the next generation....

Owner of Wentzville fence company charged with 22 felonies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:21 GMT

WENTZVILLE, Mo. - Steffanie Haertling paid Tri-County Fence and Deck more than $30,000 for a pair of projects at her Wentzville home.“After about August 16, we were just ghosted,” Haertling said.She said the checks got cashed, but the work never started."We probably won't see any of our money back," Haertling said.Haertling filed a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, and she wasn’t alone. In September 2022, a spokesperson from the AG’s office said it had received 52 complaints against Tri-County Fence and Deck. St. Louis man says American Airlines lost prosthetic leg, won’t reimburse him Fast forward to May 2023, and Tri-County’s owner, Craig Sutton, now faces nearly two dozen felony charges. The counts include stealing $25,000 or more, deceptive business practices, and financial exploitation of the elderly or disabled. Court documents detailed narratives from 10 consumers who reported a combined loss of nearly $73,000 after hiring Sutton and Tri-County to provi...

Effort to regulate short-term rentals takes step forward in St. Louis 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:21 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Some residents in downtown St. Louis say some short-term rentals have turned into meeting spots for large groups to hold late-night parties.“It’s frightening,” said Nicole Younge, a downtown resident for the past 13 years.She’s said some of those gatherings have escalated into early-morning crimes.“The next thing you know, you hear glass breaking,” Younge said. Circuit Attorney refuses charges to woman arrested in Cherokee St. shooting “There’s late-night parties,” said Aneka Keck, a downtown resident. “It’s disturbing the whole neighborhood.”A spokesperson for St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones's Office said she is supportive of efforts to regulate short-term rentals. The city’s Planning Commission met Wednesday and approved definitions for short-term rentals. That step helps pave the way for the St. Louis Board of Aldermen to take up the issue.Some regulations the board will now consider include a permit requiring annual renewal and a designated contact person for each s...

Riverside County officials concerned about influx of migrants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:21 GMT

Riverside County officials are concerned about an influx of illegal immigrants that could potentially stretch resources, causing a humanitarian crisis.Riverside County is the only non-border county accepting migrants seeking asylum and last month, the average number of arrivals was approximately 122 per day. However, those numbers have significantly increased, according to Brooke Federico, Riverside County director of communications. “Since we started, that was March 2021, we’ve received around 74,500 individuals,” Federico said. “In the last couple of weeks we’ve seen our daily numbers increase significantly. It’s almost 200 asylum seekers a day.” This influx of migrants could be a result of Title 42, a policy implemented during the coronavirus pandemic that allowed authorities to remove migrants from U.S. land borders in order to prevent the spread of Covid. However, Title 42 expires on Thursday and local, state and federal officials are bracing for a surge in migrants at the...

Police searching for driver in fatal Porter Ranch hit-and-run

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:21 GMT

Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department are asking for the public’s help in identifying a driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run in Porter Ranch earlier this week. The incident occurred May 7, just before 1 a.m., near the intersection of Braemore Road and Bowmore Avenue, an LAPD news release stated.  Authorities say the driver of a dark-colored vehicle was traveling eastbound on Baremore when they collided with a pedestrian who was sitting in the roadway. The driver continued traveling eastbound, failing to stop, identify themselves or attempt to render aid after the pedestrian sustained severe injuries from the collision.  Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene took the victim, described only as a Hispanic male in his 20s, to the hospital. The man died at the hospital a day later.  Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division Officer Reyes at 818-644-8114 or Det. Ortega at 818...

LAX celebrates 10th anniversary of Pets Unstressing Passengers program with pup parade and giveaways 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:21 GMT

Los Angeles World Airports celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUPs) program at LAX with a pup parade and giveaways for departing passengers on Wednesday. The LAX PUPs program began in April 2013 with 30 therapy dogs as an effort to “enhance the passenger experience” at LAX. As of 2023, the program has grown to 80 canines and volunteer handlers. Wednesday’s festivities took place in Terminal 1 of LAX in partnership with Southwest Airlines, whose representatives helped distribute commemorative giveaways for passengers. More than a dozen dogs were paraded down a red carpet with their handlers who stopped for photos and interviews by the “pup-parazzi.” The dogs do have a calming effect on passengers near and far; LAX’s PUPs program has served as a model for more than 90 airports across the world that have started a similar program.  700 dogs rescued from puppy mill in Iowa; 53 available for adoption in Studio City "The LAX PUPs are...