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Mayor Kirk Watson discusses new $5.5 billion city budget, what it means for Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On Sunday evening, City of Austin Interim City Manager Jesús Garza released his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. DETAILS: Austin interim city manager puts forward $5.5 billion budget The budget forecasts a combined projected increase of 2% in local fees for the typical ratepayer.Austin’s 2022-2023 budget totaled $5 billion, and the 2021-2022 budget was $4.5 billion.Monday morning, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson sat down with KXAN's Tom Miller to talk about how the budget breaks down and what it will mean for residents. Below is a transcription of their conversation: The transcription has been edited for grammatical clarity. Budget breakdownTom Miller, KXAN: The city manager is calling for a half-billion-dollar increase, which would bring the budget up to $5.5 billion.Mayor Kirk Watson: The budget will be $5.5 billion. And that is an increase from the last budget. Part of the way that happens, of course, is that you have to look at t...

APD searches Pflugerville field for 2nd time in relation to murder suspect Raul Meza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department did a follow-up investigation in a field Monday in Pflugerville in connection with the case of a man accused of multiple murders. APD said the investigation was off Farm-to-Market Road 1825, the same area APD, Pflugerville Police and the FBI searched July 12 in relation to a case connected to Raul Meza Jr. APD said it couldn't provide any details about the investigation since it is ongoing. TIMELINE: What we know about Raul Meza's criminal history Meza, 62, is in Travis County Jail and faces two murder charges, a capital murder charge and a charge for unauthorized use of a vehicle after confessing to the murder of his roommate, 80-year-old Jesse Fraga, the arrest affidavit said.APD said it believes Meza is connected to "multiple murders" and is looking into eight to 10 cold cases in which he could be involved.Meza also told detectives he was responsible for the 2019 killing of 66-year-old Gloria Lofton, according to an arrest affidavit....

AFD: Fireworks spark fourplex fire in east Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Monday afternoon, the Austin Fire Department said a fire started by fireworks in east Austin is now under control. AFD said the trash fire was "reportedly" ignited by fireworks and spread to the exterior of a building, which it later described as a large two-story fourplex. In the video above, provided to KXAN, a large plume of smoke can be seen coming from the home. AFD said the fourplex had fire in its attic. The building is in the 6800 block of Wentworth Drive, which is near Loyola Lane and Decker Lane and close to the Travis County Exposition Center. Fire off Wentworth Drive in east Austin July 17, 2023 (Courtesy Cody Bowens)Fire off Wentworth Drive in east Austin (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)Fire off Wentworth Drive in east Austin (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)Fire off Wentworth Drive in east Austin (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)AFD said a fire engine responded to the scene.This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.

23-year-old dies of cardiac arrest in TDCJ prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- A 23-year-old man died of cardiac arrest in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison last Wednesday morning, a custodial death report published Monday afternoon confirms.Peyton James Pendley was found unresponsive in his cell at TDCJ's Beto Unit, the report says. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and pronounced dead by medical staff just after 11 a.m. on July 12.The report said it could not be determined at this time whether Pendley had a pre-existing medical condition.Pendley had been convicted of an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge, according to the report.This report is ongoing and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Man charged with murder, criminal vehicular homicide of 17-year-old in Forest Lake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

A North Branch motorist was charged Monday with third-degree murder and criminal vehicular homicide after police say he struck and killed a 17-year-old girl in a parking lot in downtown Forest Lake early Sunday.The motorist, 20-year-old Dylan Robert Simmons, and the girl, who was from Stacy, were known to each other, Forest Lake police said Monday. Her name has not been released.Forest Lake police officers responded to 95 Broadway Ave. E. near Lakeside Park at 1:22 a.m. Sunday on a report of a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle. The girl was located in the city parking lot and responders began life-saving measures. She was pronounced dead.Simmons was located at the scene and police arrested him.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Motorist charged in Columbia Heights deadly pedestrian crash Crime & Public Safety | Fargo officer slain in shooting was a ‘member of our family,’ police chief says Crime & Public Safety | ...

Could a poor showing at Open Championship lead these big-name players to 3M Open?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

The 3M Open has already put together a nice little list of names to highlight the field for next week’s PGA Tour stop in Blaine.While it certainly won’t rival a major championship, elevated event or perhaps even the more deeply rooted other events armed with richer histories on tour, Minnesota’s premier golf event has players about which spectators can get excited to watch.Already committed to play are cemented stars such as Tony Finau — the defending 3M Open champion — 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im.There are local connections like former Minnesota state amateur champion Tom Hoge, Spring Lake Park grad Troy Merritt and sponsor’s exemptions in North Oaks native Frankie Capan III, Blake School product Derek Hitchner and young pro Thomas Lehman, the son of Alexandria native and major champion Tom Lehman.There are rising stars ranging from Ludvig Aberg, a 23-year-old who is a strong candidate to be named to the European Ryder Cup team and ...

Former Midway Shopping Center site, Hamm’s Brewery get Met Council grants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

United Village, the largely-vacant space around the Allianz Field soccer stadium in St. Paul, will receive a $652,000 boost from the Metropolitan Council aimed at readying the land for future real estate development.The Met Council, the seven-county metro’s regional planning agency, recently approved nearly $3.4 million in grants related to environmental clean-up or investigation at brownfield sites across the metro, as well as other pre-development work related to future housing and commercial construction.Among the grants awarded was $652,000 to the St. Paul Port Authority for contamination clean-up and environmental oversight at a 7.4-acre site along University Avenue, fronting Allianz Field, the home of the Minnesota United soccer team.According to the grant application, redevelopment is likely to include an 87,000-square-foot, four-story office building with retail space, as well as a 170-unit hotel where the Midway Shopping Center once stood. The Minnesota Department of ...

Crash in Salem leaves two in critical condition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

SALEM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Washington County Sheriff's Office is investigating a one-car crash in Salem. The incident occurred around 8:54 a.m. on July 14. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Police say responding officers located a 2008 Subaru on County Route 153. The vehicle had hit a tree, and two people were trapped inside. Salem Fire and EMS with Cambridge Valley Rescue were able to free both occupants.The driver, Zachariah J. Miller, 19, of Shushan, was transported to the Glens Falls Hospital. Miller was in critical condition and had sustained head, chest, and internal injuries.The front seat passenger, Patrick C. Stone, 18, of Salem, was flown by a LifeNet medical helicopter to the Albany Medical Center. Stone was reportedly also in critical condition and had sustained head, chest, and lower body injuries. Grafton man indicted for manslaughter Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the accident. Anyone w...

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie to perform at MVP Arena

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- MVP Arena in Albany will be hosting a performance by rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. The show is scheduled for October 14 at 8 p.m. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The rapper, best known for his songs "Numbers" and "Drowning" will be joined by special guests Toosii & Kaliii. The concert is part of the "Me vs. Myself: The College Tour".Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on July 21. You can purchase A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie tickets online by visiting the arena's website.

'I'm not sorry': Read the note escaped inmate Michael Burham wrote his father

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Police captured Michael Burham in northwest Pennsylvania just before 6 p.m. Saturday, ending a nine-day manhunt that followed Burham's escape from Warren County Jail. The capture concluded a crime spree that spanned several states over the course of two months. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Burham is the prime suspect in the May killing of 34-year-old Jamestown resident Kala Hodgkin, a mother of three, who is described in court documents as Burham's former girlfriend. Burham evaded police for nearly two weeks after her death, during which time he allegedly kidnapped an elderly couple in Pennsylvania and stole their Honda CR-V before driving to South Carolina.Burham was eventually captured and brought back to Western New York in late June before being extradited to face kidnapping and burglary charges in Pennsylvania, where he later escaped from jail. When Burham was captured in South Carolina, polic...