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Small towns are disbanding police forces, citing hiring woes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:06:13 GMT

GOODHUE, Minnesota (AP) — As Goodhue Police Chief Josh Smith struggled this summer to fill vacancies in his small department, he warned the town's City Council that unless pay and benefits improved, finding new officers would never happen.When nothing changed, Smith quit. So did his few remaining officers, leading the Minnesota town of 1,300 residents to shutter its police force in late August.America is in the midst of a police officer shortage that many in law enforcement blame on the two-fold morale hit of 2020 — the coronavirus pandemic and criticism of police that boiled over with the murder of George Floyd by a police officer. From Minnesota to Maine, Ohio to Texas, small towns unable to fill jobs are eliminating their police departments and turning over police work to their county sheriff, a neighboring town or state police.The trend isn't altogether new.At least 521 U.S. towns and cities with populations of 1,000 to 200,000 disbanded polici...

LIVE: Ken Paxton impeachment trial set to start in Texas Senate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:06:13 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The impeachment trial for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton will begin on Tuesday morning at the State Capitol. Proceedings are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. in the Senate chamber. KXAN will stream them in this story when they begin.Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will be the presiding officer of the trial, functioning as a judge. Senators will serve as jurors. Proceedings will begin with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas administering oaths to Patrick and others involved in the process.KXAN's Monica Madden will be at the trial Tuesday. View her live coverage below:Tweets by themonicamadden The Texas House adopted 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton. The Senate will consider 16 of those articles in the trial.The first task for the court will be to rule on pretrial motions. Paxton’s attorneys have requested the Senate dismiss all of the articles of impeachment. Patrick can defer a decision on that motion until after evidence is presented, or he can all...

Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Applications open

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:06:13 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Application dates for The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program have changed.The program will open on Tuesday, September 5. Limited spots are available. Applications will close by Saturday, September 30, or as soon as spots are filled, whichever is first.Since 1979, The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program has helped to fulfill the Christmas wishes and needs of children up to 12 years old throughout Central Texas. Low income families apply to the program starting in September. Parents or guardians provide The Salvation Army with a Christmas wish list for each child that includes new toys or games, along with clothing and shoe sizes. Donors then can “adopt” each of these Angels and fill an Angel Tree bag with gifts chosen for each child. Gifts are then distributed to parents a week before Christmas. “The Angel Tree program is such a crucial part of what we do in the community. There are so many families who are struggling this year, and that’s why our goal is to provide ...

Report: Which states have the worst road rage?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:06:13 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Would you consider yourself a patient driver? Are you able to sit back, relax, and not stress over being somewhere late because of traffic? Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Or does traffic ruin your day? Are you easily aggravated when someone pulls out in front of you, or when the driver in front of you doesn't use their turn signal?Road rage is defined as "violent anger caused by the stress and frustration involved in driving a motor vehicle in difficult conditions." While a good amount of incidents on the road don't lead to a violent reaction, poor driving, traffic, time constraints, and more add to the stress of driving. Forbes Advisor released a report, taking a look at the most confrontational drivers state by state. According to Forbes, in 2022, 413 people were injured in road rage shootings, which is a 135% spike from 2018. Museum hosts reading of book about first Black female jockey To conduct their rep...

Denver weather: Cool weather expected Tuesday before warmup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:06:13 GMT

Denver can cool off after a warm Labor Day weekend Tuesday with a high temperature over ten degrees cooler than the weekend’s lowest high.An overnight cold front puts Denver’s high Tuesday at a cool 80 degrees, reaching the near-normal temperatures expected. The day will be fairly quiet, with only some light wind up to 11 mph expected in the morning.Quiet weather day with mostly sunny skies and cooler temperatures today. #cowx pic.twitter.com/ZMYbOuzS3c— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) September 5, 2023The cool weather won’t last more than a day, though.After Tuesday night’s low of 53 degrees, Wednesday will heat up to 88 degrees, then it’s back in the 90s the rest of the week.The rest of the week is also expected to be pretty dry, with only a slight chance of storms expected Friday night.Related ArticlesWeather | Weather: Summery weather in store this Labor Day in Denver Weather | Denver weather: Hot weather Sunday turns stor...

2 killed in apparent street race crash into firetruck in South Los Angeles; 4 crewmembers injured 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:06:13 GMT

A driver and passenger were killed in an apparent street race when their vehicle crashed into a firetruck, injuring four crewmembers, in West Compton Tuesday.The crash was reported around 12:30 a.m. as the engine company was responding to a medical incident, Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson Craig Little said. The truck was traveling down Avalon Boulevard when it was hit by the civilian vehicle traveling on Compton Boulevard, Little said.Officials investigate a fatal collision in the Compton area on Sept. 5, 2023. (KTLA)Four crewmembers were transported to a local hospital with non-critical injuries. “Unfortunately, the two members of the civilian vehicle were fatalities,” he said.The victims were identified by a California Highway Patrol spokesperson as a man and a woman who were both about 30 years old. Man threatened to kill driver in road rage incident Witnesses said the vehicle that hit the truck was racing another vehicle at speeds around 80 mph when the crash...

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias arrested, accused of felony domestic violence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:06:13 GMT

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías has been arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence, according to the LAPD. The 27-year-old starter was arrested Sunday night, booked and later released on $50,000 bond, according to inmate records. No other details about the incident or the arrest have been released by the Los Angeles Police Department, though the L.A. Times reported it is believed to have occurred at BMO Stadium, where LAFC played Inter Miami. Urías was among the celebrities who attended the game where star Lionel Messi played.Julio Urias of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 1, 2023. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)The left-handed pitcher, who was pivotal in the Dodgers' 2020 World Series win, last pitched on Friday against the Atlanta Braves.He is set to appear in court on Sept. 27, during the last week of baseball's regular season, ESPN reported. In a statement late Monday morning, the Dodgers said...

Doja Cat Tackles Her Demons

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:06:13 GMT

Doja Cat Tackles Her Demons: Grammy-winning hip-hop star Dojo Cat is exploring her dark side on new single and video “Demons.”Doja co-directed the amazing video alongside Christian Breslauer (SZA/Chris Brown), and it’s got a wonderfully spooky horror movie vibe. TVs on snowy white noise, kids tossing and turning, lightning — it’s all there. Then we see a demon crawling (cat-like, dare we say) across the ceiling. Great stuff.The tune is a banger. “I would never let you in my VIP; We are enemies, we are foes; Who are you, what are those; You are gross,” she coos, unceremoniously. These, apparently, are her demons.“The video features a special cameo from Emmy-Award winning actress, Christina Ricci (The Addams Family / Netflix’s Wednesday),” reads the press release. “’Demons’ made its broadcast premiere on MTV Live, MTVU, MTV Biggest Pop and on the Paramount Times Square billboards.”Doja Cat Tackles Her Demons: Doja...

The little town that builds NFL footballs — all 480,000 of them

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:06:13 GMT

In the 154 years since Princeton and Rutgers played what became known as the first official collegiate football game, the sport has become a billion-dollar industry that enraptures millions of fans every season. But without 150 people working in a small Ohio factory, the game would be a nonstarter.The Wilson Sporting Goods factory in Ada, Ohio, produces roughly 700,000 footballs – including 480,000 for the NFL – each year. By hand.Each and every football used during any professional or college football game is produced at the factory, the exclusive supplier since 1955. The balls, made from stamped cowhide – no pigskin here – are cut, sewn, manipulated and stitched by the workers who define devotion to their craft, many who have worked 40-plus years at the factory.“Our employees are dedicated and hardworking, show a passion for sports and are committed to upholding the excellence in craftsmanship that Wilson has become known for over its 100-plus year history,” says Sarah Houseknecht...

‘I consider them lazy’: Dublin introduces fines for rule-breaking real estate signs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:06:13 GMT

Dublin’s elected officials have stepped in with new rules for displaying open-house signs in an attempt to end the bickering between real estate agents who’ve complained their competitors are flouting the rules and gaining an unfair business advantage.Complaints over the past year, officials say, included agents exceeding the number of allowable signs per property and keeping the signs up past the sunset deadline for removal.“We were hoping that the realtors would be able to solve it amongst themselves, so that it wouldn’t have to come to council,” said Mayor Melissa Hernandez during the council’s Aug. 15 meeting, when it approved an amendment to city code governing real estate signs. She added: “But it seems like now it’s getting to the point where it’s not being solved.”The new rules introduce fines for repeated violations, from $100 to $500, and a deadline to take down open-house signs by 5:30 p.m. The council also upped...