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'Message is clear:' Texas one step closer to eliminating paper tags

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas is one step closer to ending its paper license plate problem -- following years of KXAN investigations into widespread fraud -- after the House voted unanimously to pass a bill that would do away with them altogether. "I think the message is loud and clear," said Sgt. Jose Escribano with the Travis County Constable's Office Pct. 3. "This was unanimous. This a knock out right there, no question."In a vote of 145-0, HB 718 passed unanimously Tuesday. It was introduced by Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, who previously said KXAN's investigations into paper tag fraud helped inspire the legislation. KXAN reached out to Goldman's office for comment late Tuesday but did not immediately hear back.The measure aims to stop widespread use of fake paper tags - which police say can be easy to counterfeit and are tied to a major criminal operation in Texas and beyond. In March, Goldman said getting rid of paper tags was the "only fix."“The more we dove into it, and the mor...

Texas men's tennis earns No. 1 overall seed, women are No. 8 in NCAA tournament

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Tennis Center is going to be a busy place this weekend.The Longhorns men's tennis team is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament this year and will open the postseason at home Saturday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. That match is scheduled for 1 p.m. MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersPepperdine and UTSA are the other two teams in town for the first and second rounds. They'll play at 10 a.m., and both winners will face off at 1 p.m. Sunday.The Texas men won the national championship in 2019 and this is the first time they've ever been the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. It's their 31st consecutive tournament bid.The Longhorns have three singles and one doubles team in the individual tournament, highlighted by top-seeded Eliot Spizzirri. Pierre Yves-Bailey and Siem Woldeab were also given berths in the singles tournament. Spizz...

Here are the winners of the Minnesota Book Awards

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:00 GMT

Some of the best books by Minnesota writers first published in 2022 won Minnesota Book Awards tonight during a ceremony at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, with entertainer Jearlyn Steele as master of ceremonies. The annual Book Awards program is coordinated by Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, presented and sponsored by Education Minnesota.Here are the winners of the 35th annual Book Awards, with information about the authors and their books compiled by the Friends. (*Indicates a Minnesota-based publisher)Children’s Literature, sponsored by Bernadette Janisch“So Much Snow” by Kristen Schroeder and Sarah Jacoby.“So Much Snow”: by Kristen Schroeder; illustrated by Sarah Jacoby (Random House Studio/Penguin Random House). Follow seven forest creatures, from a tiny mouse to a giant moose, as they hunker down in a snowstorm. As the week progresses, the snow piles up – even past Moose’s antlers! Schroeder lived in Australia for 11 years....

Twins sent to walk-off, extra-inning loss in Chicago

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Michael Kopech was dealing, sending down hitter after hitter in quick succession. And inning for inning, Joe Ryan was matching him. Kopech didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning. Ryan allowed just one hit in his six innings.Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Correa reacts to an inside pitch from Chicago White Sox’s Michael Kopech during the sixth inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)The pitchers’ duel eventually made way for a battle of the bullpens, one in which the White Sox won 3-2 in 10 innings on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. After the Twins stranded their automatic runner, Joey Gallo, on third base in the top of the frame, White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi delivered a two-out single off Caleb Thielbar to score Hanser Alberto and propel the White Sox to victory.That came after a back-and-forth that first saw Jorge López surrender the Twins’ one run-advantage in the seventh inning by allowing...

Protestors gather for Dignity Not Detention rally

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:00 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Several organizations gathered in Rensselaer County on Tuesday to protest an agreement between the sheriff's office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).Those who protested said the 287G agreement is the only one of its kind in New York State and targets immigrants. The protest was held outside the Rensselaer County Jail. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The agreement between ICE and the sheriff's office began in 2020. Protestors also wanted to bring light to the conditions inside the jail.Those who attended said they want to see the New York Dignity Not Detention Act passed. Supporters of the legislation said, if passed, it would keep immigrants and their families together.

I-55 reopens in Illinois after dust storm warning

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Interstate 55 in southern Illinois has reopened Tuesday evening. It was closed in the afternoon after a series of dust storm warnings.Illinois State Police shared this image of the road conditions Tuesday.The National Weather Service has issued a dust storm warning along US-51 at Pana, Illinois until 4:15 pm. There is also a dust storm warning along I-55 near Farmersville and I-55 near Waggoner until 4:30 p.m.The Illinois Department of Transportation has closed I-55 between the 63 and 82 mile markers. Authorities expanded the closure Tuesday afternoon. This is an area between Farmersville and Divernon where a chain reaction crash killed six people and injured dozens of others Monday. So far there are no crashes reported in the area.Drivers on central Illinois roads should use caution. The National Weather Service's dust storm warning near Pana is around 50 miles away from Divernon. The rural towns are located in a very windy part of the state and visibility may be l...

3 victims of single-engine plane crash in Big Bear identified 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:00 GMT

The three passengers who were killed when the small plane they were on crashed in Big Bear on Monday have been identified. The three passengers have been identified as 60-year-old Stormie Seibold of Temecula, 62-year-old Jimmy Fitzpatrick of Perris and 79-year-old Robert Carty of Lake Havasu, Arizona.Crews arrived on the scene at the corner of Paradise Way and Maltby Boulevard in Big Bear around 2 p.m. on Monday after a crash was reported there. The single-engine Beechcraft A36 crashed in a small field about one mile east of Big Bear Airport, which, according to preliminary investigation from the NTSB, is thought to be the plane’s destination. No one on the ground was injured. “There was no fire and no structural damage, which is pretty amazing considering how many houses are in that area,” Battalion Chief Luke Wagner of the Big Bear Fire Department said. Sky5 view of the plane crash scene in Big Bear, California. May 1, 2023. (KTLA)Sky5 view of the plane crash ...

Police looking to identify driver in fatal hit-and-run in Koreatown 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:00 GMT

LAPD detectives are seeking the public’s help in finding the driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run in Koreatown early Tuesday morning. A 2005 silver Nissan Altima was travelling eastbound on 1st Street near Westmoreland Avenue around 5:15 a.m. when it collided with a female pedestrian in the roadway, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department. The driver of the Nissan failed to remain at the scene, identify themselves or render aid to the pedestrian, LAPD said. LAFD personnel responded to the scene and transported the pedestrian to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.  Woman critically injured after vehicle slams into apartment complex in Santa Ana hit-and-run The female pedestrian has not been identified, but her next of kin has been notified. Anyone with information about this fatal hit-and-run is asked to contact detectives with the LAPD’s West Traffic Division at 213-473-0234. During non-business hours or on weeke...

Los Angeles Unified to make largest electric bus purchase in history as part of green energy goals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:00 GMT

The Los Angeles Unified School District plans to purchase more than 180 new electric school buses and other electric vehicle infrastructure as part of its ambitious green energy plans. School district officials say the acquisition will be the largest single EV bus purchase ever made by a school district.Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the district plans to fully electrify its bus yard in Sun Valley by 2026, adding that the district was committed to “creating a model of sustainability that benefits our students, our school communities and generations to come.”Carvalho called the goal “aggressive,” but said it was necessary to reduce the school district’s impact on the environment. The Sun Valley Bus Yard serves the northern portion of LAUSD, with about 180 buses responsible for transporting more than 4,600 students to and from school. The existing fleet consists of natural gas, gasoline and propane-powered buses, alongside six EVs. Diesel buses were removed from the fleet in 202...

Discovery of endangered bird halts construction on Santa Ana River Trail

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:00 GMT

Construction on the longest multi-use trail in Southern California has been halted following the discovery of an endangered bird.Crews were on Phase III of the four-phase Santa Ana River Trail project when a Least Bell’s Vireo was found nesting in the project’s boundary in San Bernardino County.The Least Bell’s Vireo was added to California’s list of endangered species in 1980 and remains state-protected.“The birds breed in areas of Southern California from mid-March to early April and usually remain in their breeding grounds until late September,” said U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. “Sometimes they leave as early as the end of July.”A Least Bell's Vireo in a photo from the Western Ecological Research Center (WERC).A male vireo incubating a nest in the “Mars” territory on the Middle San Luis River. (USGS Western Ecological Research Center)A Least Bell’s vireo photographed in Southern California. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)Work on the 3.8-mile Santa Ana River Trail broke grou...