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Ex-Oklahoma jailers sentenced to probation in 'Baby Shark' torture case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:28 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - The former Oklahoma County jail guards accused of torturing inmates with the children's song, "Baby Shark" have been sentenced to probation and fines after pleading no contest to several of the charges.In 2020, former detention officers Christian Miles and Gregory Butler, and their supervisor, Christopher Hendershott, were charged with four counts of cruelty to prisoners, four counts of corporal punishment to an inmate, and four counts of conspiracy.Prosecutors said that in 2019, Miles and Butler pulled at least five inmates out of their cells one at a time late at night to be handcuffed, forced them into a "standing stress position," and played "Baby Shark" on repeat at a loud volume for hours on end. Drag queen Heklina found dead in London Court documents state Miles and Butler used the booth to discipline inmates “and teach them a lesson because they felt that disciplinary action within the Detention Center was not working in correcting the behavior of th...

New autonomous vehicle company en route for testing in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:28 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As autonomous vehicle technology advances, a new company will soon begin piloting its latest prototype here in Austin.Autonomous vehicle company Waymo will begin testing its fifth generation driver, called the Jaguar I-Pace, throughout central and east Austin. Pilot testing locations include downtown, along Rainey Street, within the Market District, near the State Capitol and in the Clarksville, Bouldin Creek and Holly neighborhoods, per a company news release.Currently, the company operates ride-hailing services in San Francisco and Phoenix. While there aren't "immediate plans" to launch in Austin, Waymo officials said "testing in the city will help us improve our underlying technology everywhere we drive." AV NEWS: General Motors' Cruise to roll out autonomous robotaxis in Austin this spring "A lot of the experiences you encounter on Austin's roads will help us improve the Waymo Driver everywhere we operate, both today and in the ...

Texas House Committee considers teacher pay raises

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:28 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Public Education Committee is considering two different bills on Tuesday that aim to increase retention in Texas public schools, as the state struggles with teachers leaving the profession in droves. IN-DEPTH: Why are Texas teachers quitting and what are the solutions? Two of the bills being considered are part of Speaker Dade Phelan's education priority bills this session.House Bill 11 — authored by Rep Harold Dutton (D-Houston) — attempts to codify many of the recommendations made by the Teacher Vacancy Task Force. The group consisted of more than 40 public school teachers and administrators, who spent more than a year looking at why teachers are quitting and retiring in order to identify possible solutions. One of the task force's recommendations that Dutton included in his bill is an increase in the state’s per-pupil funding – or basic allotment – from $6,160 to $6,210. MORE: 6 key bills on school safety and funding The state would also adopt a new t...

Nexstar honors this year's group of 'Remarkable Women'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:28 GMT

(KTLA) - Each year, Nexstar Media Group celebrates International Women's Month by spotlighting "Remarkable Women" from coast to coast, with the big winner eventually being named "Nexstar Woman of the Year."This weekend, more than 100 remarkable women arrived in Los Angeles, all inspirational leaders from across the country making an impact in their communities — from helping the homeless to working with domestic violence victims. Remarkable Women 2023 Winner: Mona Highline Their work and contributions are in the spotlight as they descend on Hollywood and receive the star treatment.On Sunday, hours after their arrival in L.A., they walked the "purple carpet" and danced poolside at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, where they had their very own Remarkable Women decorative waterfall.They kicked off Monday with a double-decker bus tour of some of Los Angeles' most iconic landmarks.All 200 Nexstar TV stations in 116 markets around the U.S. accepted nominations for this prestigious honor. Nexs...

St. Paul’s local sales tax for roads, parks stalls as House lawmakers look to regional tax for affordable housing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:28 GMT

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s pitch to voters to support increasing the city’s local sales tax for parks and road repair might not make it to ballot this November, given competing bills at the state Legislature.When the Minnesota Senate Committee on Taxes convened last week, the St. Paul mayor testified alongside counterparts from 18 other cities and counties pitching individual proposals to increase their local sales taxes to raise funds for roads, parks, public safety facilities or other favored projects.Don’t expect a similar showcase in the Minnesota House, at least not anytime soon. The House Committee on Taxes, chaired by state Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis, has declined to hear the same flurry of legislative bills, given somewhat clashing proposals for metro-wide sales taxes for housing and transportation.“The local option sales taxes … in a sense they are competing,” acknowledged state Rep. Mike Howard, DFL-Richfield, a lead author of...

‘Air’ review: Damon and Affleck team up for the story of Nike’s pursuit of Michael Jordan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:28 GMT

Michael Phillips | Chicago Tribune“Air” is a good time, as well as a triumph of sports marketing in every conceivable way. It’s a docudrama — really more of a docucomedy-drama, with workplace banter and zingers for fuel — about how Nike marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro, played by Matt Damon, convinced his boss Phil Knight, played by co-star and director Ben Affleck, to cough up the funds to make the pitch to get the basketball star for the ages to sell their shoes. It’s a movie about winners, winning and millions.We do not see Michael Jordan in “Air,” aside from a few shots of an essentially nonverbal actor’s back, or the back of his head. He’s the guy in the room everyone’s talking about, a wondrous, never-fully-revealed figure. Like Jesus Christ in “Ben-Hur.”“Air” is also about spending money to make money, which would make it a period piece in much of corporate America today even if it weren’t, in fact, set 39 years ago. In sports movie terms “Air” is the opposite of director Be...

Loons’ dance party in St. Louis a show of their collective spirit this season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:28 GMT

The connection Minnesota United players have formed this season was revealed moments after the Loons’ 1-0 victory over St. Louis City on Saturday.A dance party broke out in the visiting team’s locker room at CityPark. With the Latino hit song “Danza Kaduro” playing, team ham/midfielder Kervin Arriaga entered the scene with hips swiveling. Teammates Dayne St. Clair and Kemar Lawrence greeted him.The broader group encouraged more-reserved center back Micky Tapias to join in by chanting his name, and the Mexican obliged by doing “The Robot.” The party was in full swing and might have violated a noise ordinance.Franco Fragapane picked up the dance off, passed it to Luis Amarilla, then Wil Trapp, Bongi Hlongwane, D.J. Taylor and Mender Garcia. Arriaga capped it by going to the carpet to do “the worm,” while his best bud Joseph Rosales did some back-up moves.MNUFC has reasons to cut a rug. At 3-0-2, they are one of three MLS teams still unbeaten after knocking off previously perfect St. L...

Wanted: local creators to share their passion with the community

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:28 GMT

TELUS STORYHIVE Voices is back. Bring your story to life with a $10K grant Rebecca Stevens. Photo by Rebecca StevensIf you’re a first-time or emerging content creator in B.C. or Alberta and have always wanted to share your passion or story with your community, now’s your chance. Level up your content creation journey with STORYHIVE Voices 3.0. Intake is open now until May 2, 2023. The search is on for local online content creators of all backgrounds to be part of TELUS STORYHIVE‘s supportive community, a creative hub to grow your impact, your audience, and develop your skills. Voices welcomes aspiring YouTube, TikTok or Instagram creators, no experience necessary. You could gain access to over 1 million new viewers on TELUS Optik TV!STORYHIVE is encouraging creators to submit their content ideas. Whether it’s a lifestyle show, a how-to-series, visual podcasts or docuseries, the possibilities are endless. They are offering $10,000 in production funding, cu...

Longtime Starbucks employee, union organizer fired

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:28 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Another controversy is brewing between Starbucks Workers United and the coffee giant. A longtime employee and union organizer says she was unfairly fired. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Alexis Rizzo worked at the Starbucks on Genesee Street across from the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport for seven years. She was also a key player in sparking the Starbucks labor movement. But, as of Friday, she's out of a job. Rizzo told NEWS10's sister station in Albany that a manager fired her for tardiness. The longtime barista and supervisor said that most instances she was late was only by a few minutes. "It was only a matter of time and I've been trying to be perfect every day that I've been at work, so I can't give them an opportunity," she added. "They've been setting me up to fail since the beginning. They had me closing the store every Friday night until 8 p.m. and then opening the store every Saturday...

Hudson Falls gets its first K-9 police unit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:28 GMT

HUDSON FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - A legacy on four paws has made its way to a new community. A police dog named after a former Glens Falls Police officer was introduced this week to the Hudson Falls Police Department - along with the human officer who worked with him from early on. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! In a Tuesday Facebook post, "Rye" was announced as the hound half of the Hudson Falls Police Department's first-ever K-9 unit. He's joined by Kirsten Lunder, also previously a Glens Falls Police Department officer. Lunder worked with Rye on basic obedience and training activities to get him ready for the job, prior to his time in police dog training school. Rye has been trained to take part in narcotics searches and missing person cases, and was selected for police work due to his friendly, unfazed personality."K-9 Rye has quickly become a favorite amongst his fellow officers and always brings a smile to those at the P...